Break the Mold
by itslivinginallofus
Summary: Kelpay, KelsixSharpay, SharpayxKelsi. My first HSM fic. I love this pairing and I hope I'm able to do it justice! 12 chapters, the last 3 are announcements/dedications. Please review as you feel compelled minus gay bashing!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own anything pertaining to High School Musical.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first "Kelpay"/HSM fic altogether, so let me know what you think! I'm a college junior with a ridiculous schedule, but I will update whenever possible. **

Kelsi had just about had it. She was stupid enough to think that after she made strides - no - leaps - in self-assertion and confidence during the Winter Musical that people would start respecting her. That **Sharpay **would start respecting her. Yes, she was actually crazy enough to wonder if she and the female Evans twin could possibly try to collaborate musically once she saw that Kelsi had both talent and a smidge of a backbone. Kelsi thought that Sharpay could, if she stopped being a processed, manufactured toy for 5 seconds, exhibit real talent. But that didn't matter now anyway. Kelsi couldn't believe that she gave Sharpay that much credit. The young composer's knuckles turned bright white as they clutched the steering wheel of her father's beat-up '82 Thunderbird that she was shocked had the moxie to start every time she turned the key.

She kept replaying her conversation with Sharpay earlier that day in her head, only this time she was thinking of all the ways she should have responded, kicking herself for not doing so.

_Kelsi was sitting at the piano in the music room during free period, as always. The Drama Club often met in the theater, so she chose the music room specifically to avoid other people. Now that "Twinkle Towne" was over, Kelsi finally had the time and energy to work on new music. While she loved the thrill of the whole school finally hearing her music, she still liked the idea of some pieces being just hers, at least if and until she was ready to release them. There was less pressure knowing that the music belonged to her and was not vulnerable to potential criticism. Every time she sat down at the piano lately, she found her fingers almost involuntarily pressing out a certain ballad that she had started months ago, but wasn't even sure herself where the inspiration came from. Kelsi sang along possible lyrics to herself as she let the melody consume and wash over her._

_Kelsi was so engrossed in the music that she barely had time to freeze up when Sharpay strolled in the room, her stride long and seemingly precise, like she planned out each step before she took it. She leaned on the piano, wrapping an arm around it possessively. Kelsi's heart jumped to her throat in a fear she couldn't explain as she removed her fingers from the keys, almost like she had been caught doing something._

"_Does that have lyrics?" was Sharpay's only greeting._

"_Uh... yes - well - kind of - they're not - uh... why?" Kelsi stammered, wondering if that was even English._

_Sharpay looked up, as if she were speaking to no one particularly rather than to Kelsi. "I need something original for the Spring Talent Show. Something to re-stake my claim," Sharpay's gaze danced in the air for a moment, as if she were thinking about something, but then shot down to meet Kelsi's. "Bring it on over to my house after school and we'll get down to business. You know where I live, I'm guessing," and with that, Sharpay was out the door, the clicking of her heels ringing in Kelsi's head._

And of course, Kelsi did know where she lived. Everyone in Eastern Albuquerque knew where the Evans family lived, which only fueled Kelsi's fire as she drove her crappy family car through Sharpay's neighborhood, which may as well have been paved with golden streets to announce its wealth. Kelsi punched the steering wheel with frustration. Any of her peers at East High would be shocked that she could even get this mad, especially over Sharpay of all people. Sure, Sharpay was rude and inconsiderate, but that was nothing new. In fact, her interaction with Kelsi was almost pleasant compared to her normal threats and order-barking. For Kelsi, it was simply the last straw, and her fuse was about to blow.

"_I should have shouted," _Kelsi thought. "_I should have told her that the world and everyone in it is not for her to control_._I should have given that diva bitch a piece of mind._" Kelsi didn't even consider her directional as she peeled around the corner of Sharpay's street. She paused, and in a moment of sudden self-confidence, fueled by anger, thought, "_I still can."_

Kelsi whipped into the driveway of the Evans' house, stopping merely inches from Sharpay's obnoxiously pink convertible. She threw the door open, not even bothering to bring the sheet music with her. Her body was moving faster than her brain, and she could tell that for better or for worse, she was about to do this. Her petite fist pounded on the door to no avail, but when she pressed the doorbell, she immediately heard a lot of commotion, enough to throw her off a little. _"Is the rich little family throwing a gala in there?"_ she wondered sarcastically to herself. _"What is taking so long, isn't there a butler to answer the door?"_

But the person who answered the door was no butler, nor was it a familiar face. It was a puffy-eyed, teary-cheeked Sharpay, whose gaze was urgent and frightened. Kelsi stepped backward, feeling like someone had unexpectedly heaved a boulder at her stomach.

"Sharpay?" she asked cautiously.

"Kelsi, um, now's not a good time. You should probably go," Sharpay's voice was different than she had ever heard it. Quiet, low, and small. Her eyes met Kelsi's desperately, praying she could possibly help her, but they both had the sinking feeling that she couldn't.

Kelsi decided to be brave and try. "Is - is everything okay? I mean, can I -"

"Sharpay!!" an unidentified voice that she presumed to be her father's bellowed from a remote part of the house.

Sharpay's eyes widened as she grabbed the door. "I gotta go," she said, slamming the door and leaving Kelsi on the doorstep, confused, worried, and nauseous.

The small girl stood there for a moment, unsure of how to process whatever was going on. Her brain instantly racked with guilt for all the anger she was storing up that vanished the instant she saw the look on Sharpay's face. Maybe the princess' life wasn't as perfect as Kelsi, or anyone at East High, had cracked up. Maybe she actually did have feelings and a heart that could be crushed like the rest of them. Kelsi traveled home in a somber silence, not even complaining about the squealing noise that her father's Thunderbird made when it braked.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own anything relating to High School Musical. I also do not own Myspace. That Tom is a lucky guy.**

Kelsi's night was sleepless. She had heard that expression be misused countless times before, but she could honestly use it in every essence. She laid in bed, begging any higher power that would listen, to allow her some sleep or peace of mind, but no such luck. She could not, for the life of her, shake the image of Sharpay's pleading eyes from her mind for more than a few minutes. The closest thing she had to a dream was a daydream of being back at the Evans' house, finding a burst of courage, and whisking Sharpay away to her crappy car and rescuing her from whatever she was facing.

Despite her exhaustion, Kelsi leaped out of bed at 6:30 AM, when her alarm clock would have normally gone off. She wasn't sure what she was going to say upon seeing Sharpay at school, if anything, but she just wanted to see her, to know she was okay.

The brunette's half-done hair blew around as she stepped off the school bus and into the East High parking lot. She glanced around the Junior/Senior Parking Lot, which she rarely got a chance to park in because her dad had the car during the day, to find no evidence of Sharpay's convertible and prayed to herself that she just wasn't looking hard enough as she walked through the front doors.

While heading to her locker, Kelsi stopped in her tracks and detoured when she saw Ryan standing in the doorway of their homeroom. If there was one thing Kelsi learned in high school, it was that usually, where there's a Ryan, there's a Sharpay.

But not today, of course. Ryan was facing the hallway with an anxious look on his face. So much so, he almost didn't notice Kelsi as she stood a mere inches from him.

"Oh, hey, Kels. Sorry, do you need to get by?" he asked.

Kelsi and Ryan had become fairly good friends despite it being partially her fault that he and Sharpay lost their roles to The Wildcat Superstar and the Freaky Genius Girl. As much as Ryan wanted to be mad at Kelsi, their drama-geek likenesses brought them together, and Kelsi was hoping this could be a bridge to finding out what was going on.

"Nah, just coming to talk to you," Kelsi said, sliding into the empty space next to Ryan, "Everything okay? You look nervous."

Ryan paused, choosing his words carefully. "Just looking for Sharpay. She didn't come home last night," he mustered up a pathetic laugh trying to disguise his worry. "She probably just crashed at a friend's house and forgot to call, I'm just being paranoid."

Kelsi's heart sank. Her own twin didn't even know where she was. Feeling comfortable with Ryan, she decided to speak up. "Could that have anything to do with what sounded like a pretty intense fight between her and your parents yesterday?"

Ryan looked a mixture of confused and scared. "How did you kn -," he managed to get out before his facial expression changed. "That was you at the door," he finished, half questioning, half realizing on his own.

Kelsi nodded. "Ryan, it scared me. I've never seen Sharpay like that, and with the yelling…" Kelsi's voice trailed off and she swallowed hard. "Your parents aren't abusive, are they?"

"No! No! Nothing like that!" Ryan quickly cut her off, and then lowered his voice. "Honestly, Kels, I would tell you, I would have told_someone_. If not for me, definitely for Sharpay. It was just a fight. A bad one."

Kelsi believed Ryan that there was no physical abuse, but she wasn't about to buy that everything was fine and ordinary. "What fight could be so bad that Sharpay would leave home over it?"

Ryan was about to answer when he stopped. "Why the sudden interest in Sharpay? I thought you didn't even really like her."

Kelsi was slightly taken aback by that question, and even though it wasn't really an accusation, she felt the need to defend herself. "This isn't about Sharpay or how I feel about her," she lied, "It was just a really intimidating situation to walk into, and I've been worried for the both of you."

Ryan gave a silent yet appreciative nod and pulled Kelsi into the back corner of the classroom. The two were speaking in almost whispers at this point as their fellow classmates slowly filtered in.

"Okay, Sharpay would probably kill me if she knew I told anyone this, but I trust you and I know you won't say anything," Ryan said, a rare moment when his bright blue eyes were so serious.

"Of course," Kelsi affirmed, internally itching to know what he was about to divulge.

"The internet in our house was down for a couple of days, and my dad fixed it when he got home from his business trip. He went around to all the computers in the house to give them a test run when me and Shar were at school, including our personal laptops. And when he got to hers - Sharpay!"

Kelsi thought that was part of the story until Ryan, without excusing himself, charged toward the front of the room. Kelsi turned around to find Sharpay, who instead of looking frightened like the evening before just appeared sullen and sleep deprived, which Kelsi could relate to. The blue-eyed musician took her seat directly behind where Ryan and Sharpay were talking so she could hopefully overhear some of their dialogue.

"Where did you go last night? You know running away is just going to make Mom and Dad more mad," Ryan said.

"You think I was going to stay at home after everything they said to me? I would have slept in my car if it were the only option." While the 'no nonsense' attitude definitely felt more characteristic of Sharpay, there was definitely still something missing. She sounded defeated in a way. Apathetic to the point where maintaining her well-earned persona didn't really matter anymore.

Ryan felt like there was nothing he could say that would be a decent response, so he fumbled for conversation. "How'd you get a parking spot? It's packed out there."

"I parked out back. Look, I made it to school, I'm safe, and I'll just keep finding ways to avoid Mom and Dad until, oh, say, graduation," Sharpay remarked.

"You do know they're coming here after school to make sure you come home, right? I'm not kidding, Shar, they're pissed," Ryan said, desperately trying to reason with his sister.

"Ugh, whatever, I don't even care!" Sharpay offered up, not convincing any of the 3 of them. The 3rd being Kelsi of course, who was still silently on looking.

The bell sounded, ceasing all conversation as Kelsi tapped her foot anxiously, wanting nothing more than for Ms. Darbus to shut up so she could organize her thoughts in peace.

It felt like hours had passed when the bell finally rang again, students anxiously dashing out of their seats to freedom. Kelsi was one of the first to her feet, however, as she felt an overwhelming need to talk to Sharpay and break the uncomfortable barrier between then since the day before. She had no idea what to say and didn't feel right asking the same things she did of Ryan, so she decided to use the song they were supposed to work on as a conversation starter. Her heart started to race as she tapped the tall, blonde girl on the back of her shoulder.

"Hey, Sharpay!" she said with an unexpected cheer to her voice, "Um, I was wondering if you weren't doing anything during free period if maybe you wanted to meet me in the music room to work on that song."

"Kelsi, don't worry about it, it's fine," Sharpay said quietly, surprising Kelsi into an awkward silence.

"No, really, I don't mind. I even have a few more ideas for lyrics that you can take a look at -"

"Listen, I'm sorry about last night, but everything at home is fine, really. You don't have to pretend to like me. I'm okay."

The hint of sadness in Sharpay's voice during that last sentence was unmistakable and Kelsi felt her heart physically sink as Sharpay half-smiled at her and walked away.

Countless questions raced through Kelsi's mind regarding what was happening, why she was feeling this way, and how she must come off to Sharpay for her to think she was pretending. But before she wrestled with any of those, she decided one more time to try and get Ryan to put at least some of this very confusing puzzle together for her.

"Ryan! Wait!" she exclaimed, stopping him before he faithfully tagged along behind Sharpay. He turned to face her and she continued speaking. "So, you were saying about your dad being on Sharpay's computer…?"

Ryan glanced at the clock and the doorway that Sharpay had just exited through. "Long story short… let's just say my dad found her Myspace page and scrolled down to that little column entitled 'Orientation.'"

Kelsi's eyes grew wide and Ryan's facial expression suggested he expected that very reaction from his female friend.

"So… wait," Kelsi said, processing all of this. "Sharpay is -"

"Shh!" Ryan cut her off in a whisper. "I guess scientists are right when they say that twins more often than not tend to have the same sexual orientation," the blonde boy winked at his friend, who he had come out as gay to early on in their friendship.

Kelsi didn't even know where to begin when she felt compelled to ask one of the _new _series of countless questions racing around her head when Ryan dashed out the door after his sister, Sharpay, who Kelsi now saw in a totally different light.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own anything related to High School Musical.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks a million to everyone who has read and reviewed so far! If I haven't sent you a PM yet, I most definitely will. I left campus this weekend for my birthday and was computer-less, so sorry this took awhile. Hopefully I will update again soon. Let me know what you think! **

Lunchtime at East High was mayhem as always. Kelsi despised the walk from the entrance to the stairway of the cafeteria, which was cluttered with cliques and eyes wandering everywhere, waiting to judge. She always felt safer with each step upward as she neared closer to the top level of the caf where she and the rest of the Drama Club sat every day without fail.

Although today was less of a relief and more of an anxiety as she reached the table and saw Sharpay and Ryan for the first time since homeroom. After her painstaking moment with Sharpay and what Ryan told her, she was convinced that 'acting normal' was going to be a stretch.

"Hey, Kels!" Ryan patted the chair next to him, "Have a seat." He then leaned into Kelsi and whispered, turning his head away from Sharpay. "Don't mention what I told you before, okay?"

Kelsi nodded, "I won't, I promise," she whispered back, and then glanced at Sharpay to see if she noticed that the two were whispering. Sharpay, who didn't notice, was looking down at her fruit salad and pushing it around with her fork, rarely taking dainty bites. Kelsi kept her eyes focused on the blonde, whose shining brown eyes were downcast for once.

If she could only tap into Sharpay's mind and begin to understand what her thought process and feelings were. She guarded herself, that was obvious, but even so, it shocked Kelsi that no one except now her parents had found out by now. Sure, she could understand not publicizing it, but just like she did in productions, Sharpay played a role. The role of a boy-chasing, society-conforming queen bee, and she played it well. But not well enough, as one slip-up proved. After Troy and Gabriella stole the winter musical, this was the 2nd time Sharpay's role playing, her livelihood, wasn't good enough. Kelsi's heart ached for the broken actress, and she was startled out of her trance when Sharpay locked eyes with her.

"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" Sharpay asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice, although Kelsi could have sworn she was also fighting a smile.

Kelsi couldn't help but smile a little bit, too. "No, just spacing out. Sorry," she said, taking a quick bite of her sandwich before pulling out her writer's notebook. Sharpay, Ryan, and all of the drama geeks had seen that tattered notebook so many times at any given moment that no one thought twice about it while Kelsi scribbled away.

Kelsi wasn't sure what compelled her to try and reach out to Sharpay once more, but something _did _compel her, and the composer was taught to follow her instincts. She wanted redemption, to prove to her blonde-haired coutnerpart that she could be a friend. Sharpay could no doubt use one.

The smaller girl eyed the clock, noticing that there were only a few minutes left of lunch. She took this opportunity to rip the page she had been writing in out of her notebook, fold it up neatly, and grab all of her belongings in one hand while quickly sliding the paper across the table and in front of Sharpay. She fumbled over a sloppy good bye as she dashed down the stairs and out of the cafeteria. Sharpay looked utterly puzzled as she glanced at a nervous Ryan and opened up the note.

_Sharpay,_

_I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about whatever happened yesterday, and I hope you know that I still really want to work on that song with you either way. Not everything can be fixed overnight, but music might be able to help. I know for me it does. And speaking of problems and fixing, just know that I'm here for you, okay? And I really want to work on the song with you. So, stop by my locker at the end of the day. I'll be around for awhile after school._

_-Kelsi_

Sharpay re-folded the note, put it in her pocket, and without saying a word, stood from the lunch table and left the cafeteria, Ryan in tow.

Kelsi sat in her last period class, concentrating on nothing academic. She was in fact wondering what the hell was wrong with her, writing that note to Sharpay. It would be an understatement to say that the barely 5-foot tall girl was rarely the brave one, but since Sharpay normally filled that role, Kelsi had no choice to step up if she wanted to get anywhere.

The bell sounded and Kelsi dashed to her locker, looking around apprehensively before mentally grounding herself. There was no telling whether or not Sharpay would actually go for it, so Kelsi wanted to keep her expectations low. She made herself look busy at her locker, pretending she didn't see the actress out of the corner of her eye a couple of lockers away. Kelsi continued to rummage mindlessly through her belongings when Ryan bridged the gap of vision between her and Sharpay's lockers. Ryan was telling Sharpay how their parents were in the principal's office, none too pleased, giving Sharpay no choice but to go home with them. Ryan all but pleaded Sharpay to go to the principal's office with him, but she urged that he go ahead without her and she'd follow close behind. Kelsi was just as skeptical as Ryan was as he walked away with his head down, and when she felt a tap on her shoulder that almost startled her out of her skin, she wasn't exactly floored to look up and find Sharpay standing beside her, but still she was incredibly relieved.

"Hi, Sharpay," Kelsi said.

"Hi," Sharpay began softly, "I got your note."

"I figured," Kelsi replied, hoping that didn't sound bitchy.

It must not have because Sharpay replied with, "Listen, I appreciate this and everything, but be honest. Do you _really _want me to sing your song?"

"Yes -"

" - Because I don't want you doing this out of pity. You're not, right?" Sharpay interrupted.

"I'm not," Kelsi confirmed, telling the truth. "I really want us to work on this together."

Sharpay smiled a sweet smile that caused Kelsi to wonder if it was the first "real" smile she had ever seen from the other girl. Both of their smiles faded, however, when Principal Matsui's voice sounded over the intercom.

"Will Sharpay Evans report to the main office immediately, that's Sharpay Evans to the main office immediately, thank you," the voice boomed.

"Fuck," Sharpay said under her breath, throwing Kelsi off a little bit even though it was pretty much her thought exactly. "I guess not. Maybe some other time, that is if I'm still alive after my parents get through with me."

Kelsi couldn't for the life of her explain what came over her when she extended her hand to Sharpay. "Let's go."

"What?" Sharpay asked, her eyes darting back and forth.

Her response made Kelsi nervous, so she withdrew her hand, but didn't back down. "Your parents can't trap you like this, it's not right. Let's get out of here, we can go to my house. My dad's cool."

Sharpay breathed deeply, and Kelsi could tell that she wanted to go with her. "But my parents are in the front lobby, they'll see us leave," she contested.

"But your car is parked out back, remember?" Kelsi offered a grin and her hand once more.

After only a short pause, Sharpay placed her hand in Kelsi's as the two dashed to the south door before anyone could spot them.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own anything related to High School Musical.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ugh. I so have senioritis. Too bad I'm not a senior :-p That being said, sorry it's taken so long to post this. The story may be coming along gradually, but hopefully it's still worth the read! Thanks again so much for all the reviews, please keep them coming so I know what track I'm on! **

Now that they were in the car, Kelsi was feeling a little less confident about her heroic getaway. Nervous glances over shoulders and briefly at each other were being exchanged in place of conversation, which the girls seemed to be stuck for. Kelsi wished that Sharpay drove a less conspicuous car, hoping that no one saw the pink blur leave the parking lot and head toward her part of town. _This isn't kidnapping, is it? _Kelsi wondered as she fiddled nervously with her hands.

She never thought that she'd miss the "old Sharpay"; order-barking, spitting on the little people Sharpay, but she imagined that would be better than the discouraged shell of a person that was in the car next to her. Kelsi did feel strongly about the restoring nature of music, and hoped that maybe Sharpay's spirits would lift once they started to play.

"Which way?" Sharpay asked, bringing Kelsi back to reality.

"Huh?" Kelsi asked.

"Which way do I go? Right or straight?"

Kelsi felt her face start to redden after drifting off and cleared her throat. "Uh, go straight through these lights and my street is the 2nd street on the left."

Sharpay nodded and lifted her foot off the brake when the light turned green.

"You okay?" she inquired, "You seem to be off in another world."

Kelsi blushed more. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Sharpay sighed. "As good as I can be, you know?"

Kelsi wanted to blurt out everything Ryan told her. She wanted to apologize on behalf of closed-minded people like Mr. and Mrs. Evans. She wanted to tell her that it was okay, and once Sharpay believed her, ask her the questions she'd been throwing back and forth all day. But as brave as she'd managed to be, she knew she couldn't go there, at least not yet. She had to let Sharpay come to her before scaring her off completely. "Yeah," Kelsi swallowed. "I know."

…InsertBandofStarsThatIndicatesTimePassageHere…

As Kelsi allowed her fingers to dance upon the familiar ivory and black keys of the piano in her house, she felt Sharpay's eyes intently watching her, which didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She was feeling guilty for how shocked she had been at Sharpay's display of humanity and while Sharpay most definitely earned her reputation, Kelsi knew firsthand what it felt like to have nobody know "the real you." She couldn't shake the feeling that this was a redemption of sorts, and she thought it could benefit the both of them, if only Sharpay would open up.

"Okay, so since I don't have any set lyrics for this, I was thinking you could tell me ideas you'd like to see, and we could go from there," Kelsi offered, looking up to the blonde standing beside her.

"Me?" Sharpay inquired, puzzled.

"Well, yeah," Kelsi began. "I mean I can't guarantee I can make something work 100, but I could try."

Sharpay took a seat on the piano bench next to Kelsi and started to think when the front door to the house swung open as Kelsi's dad called out to her in a friendly voice. "Hey, Champ! You home?"

Kelsi did not miss Sharpay's smile at Mr. Nielsen's use of his daughter's childhood nickname, but the smile was inviting rather than mocking, and Kelsi smiled as well before answering her dad. "I'm in here, Dad."

The man that turned the corner was not what most people would expect to be timid Kelsi's father. His shirt, pants, and skin were spattered with paint, and although it looked like he had been working all day, he still had an uncanny spirit and energy. Without hesitation, he scooped Kelsi into a giant hug, which no matter who was there, she could never deny. She and her father had always been close since it was just the two of them, and in light of Sharpay's parental situation, Kelsi realized just how lucky she was.

"How was your day, Kels?" he asked, still in mid-hug.

"It was good. Yours?" Kelsi replied.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed, "I finished the entire patio, and the clients recommended me to 2 friends that are thinking about paint jobs, I mean, how awesome is that?" Mr. Nielsen had the youth and vivacity of someone Sharpay and Kelsi's age, and Sharpay couldn't help but smile at their interaction.

Just then, Mr. Nielsen noticed Sharpay for the first time. "Well, who do we have here?" he asked Kelsi.

Kelsi turned to glance at Sharpay, feeling slightly a little more embarrassed now that she realized she had been watching the whole time. "Dad, this is Sharpay, we're in the Drama Club -"

"I know you!" Kelsi's dad interrupted. "You've been in all those school plays! Kelsi and I go to them every year, you're really something!"

And now Kelsi's face went from red to crimson, never having mentioned that she and her dad went to all the East High shows together and had often discussed Sharpay's outstanding performances. Sharpay glanced at Kelsi and smiled before answering Mr. Nielsen.

"Well, thank you, I appreciate that," she said, as genuine as Kelsi had ever heard her.

"No problem! Hey, make yourself at home, will ya?" Mr. Nielsen urged with a smile. He then turned his attention back to Kelsi. "All right, Hun, I'm going to go make some phone calls. Love you," he said, giving Kelsi a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Kelsi was about to make a joke about her fun-loving father when she turned around to see Sharpay, arms folded, looking down. Her smile was gone and from what Kelsi could see, she looked extremely upset.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Kelsi asked, walking toward her.

Sharpay looked up, her eyes glistening. "Does your offer to talk still stand?"

Kelsi felt a relief she couldn't describe. "Yeah. Of course. Let's go to my room."

Kelsi and Sharpay walked up the stairs to Kelsi's room in silence, and when they reached the top, Kelsi opened the door for Sharpay and motioned for her to have a seat on her bed.

Sharpay took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's just seeing you and your dad," she paused. "You wanna trade?" she finished with a soft giggle.

Kelsi smiled for only a moment before saying, "Not after last night."

Sharpay's smile in turn faded as she let out another sigh. "My parents are just - really hard to disagree with. Maybe that's where I get it," she said with another soft, fleeting smile. "But… I hope I don't make anyone feel this bad. They just need everything to go by their schedule. I can't just be who I want," Sharpay said, but before she could continue, Kelsi interrupted.

"Who do you want to be?" Kelsi prompted.

Sharpay visibly squirmed a bit. "I - I don't know, just… my own person, do things I want -"

"Sharpay, Ryan told me." Kelsi blurted out before she could stop herself.

Sharpay's head snapped up, the color draining from her face. "What? Ryan told you what?"

"He told me about the fight and how it started -"

"No! He's lying!" Sharpay shouted, the urgency in her tone growing by the second.

"Sharpay -"

"No! I mean, it Kelsi! I'm going to kill Ryan, how dare he!" she exclaimed.

"He told me not to tell, not that I ever would -"

"Because there's nothing to tell!" Sharpay interrupted, shouting at this point. "I'm not gay! I'm _not_!"

The tall, unraveling girl turned her back to Kelsi, which the smaller girl took as a cue to put her hand on Sharpay's shoulder. Once she did, it was almost like Sharpay melted - physically and emotionally - as she sank to the floor and began to sob. Kelsi was nervous, but instinct told her to move in, so she did, and Sharpay unexpectedly fell into her arms. Kelsi felt herself choke up a bit while she dared to run her fingers through Sharpay's locks.

"It's okay, Sharpay," Kelsi barely spoke.

"It's not! Kelsi, I _am _gay! I'm gay!" Sharpay shouted, almost as if it were reaffirming it for herself. "It's never going to be okay!"

"I know how you feel, but you have to believe me, it will," Kelsi said, finding her voice.

Sharpay looked up for the first time in awhile, obviously upset. "I'm sorry, but there's no way you know how I feel!"

Kelsi swallowed hard. "Actually… I do."

Sharpay's facial expression once again changed drastically. "You mean…?" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah," Kelsi sighed, "I mean."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its componenents.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HI!! Okay, first of all, I'm so sorry it has taken me forever to update!! I was on February vacation and my laptop doesn't have any internet, so I was writing more, but never had a way to post it. Now that I'm back at my dorm, I have lots more to come, and this chapter is pretty long, so hopefully that makes up for it a bit. Thank you all for reading and being patient! Please review and let me know what you think!**

Kelsi imagined that the look on Sharpay's face was something like what hers looked like when Ryan spilled the beans earlier. She nervously moved from the floor to the bed and mostly stared at her feet while waiting for Sharpay to respond. Not only did Sharpay say something, but she stood up, grabbed the chair from Kelsi's desk unit, and sat it directly across from Kelsi so that the two were facing each other. Kelsi figured that was the other girl's way of commanding attention and conversation, which partly made Kelsi nervous, but it also made her feel better that suddenly Sharpay seemed a bit more relaxed.

Sharpay's face formed an inquisitive expression. "So - you're gay, too?"

Kelsi wanted to smile, but couldn't. "Well, um, I've always identified as bisexual since I still date guys - I mean - obviously, hello, Jason," Kelsi felt herself stumbling over her words as Sharpay's eyes stayed locked on her, "But, um, to be honest - guys just, uh - never really seem to do it for me, or not as much as girls anyway." It took Kelsi a moment to even remember what the question was. "But yeah, either way… I know what you're going through."

There was a gap of comfortable silence where both girls looked at each other, allowing everything that had just happened to sink in and register. Aside from Drama Club related chatter, or often bickering, this was the first real conversation they had with one another. It was a familiarity they both took comfort in, but also a new element that kept it exciting and almost a relief.

"Why couldn't we have had this conversation 4 years ago?" Sharpay laughed.

Kelsi laughed in return. "I know, right? We could have been good friends."

"Well, it's never too late, right?" Sharpay asked.

"You're right, it's not," Kelsi replied. Another brief pause. "So, you never knew? About me, I mean."

What appeared to be a slight blush crept over Sharpay's cheeks as a shy smile formed at the corner of her mouth. "Uh, well, I'd be lying to say I knew for a fact or even that I felt really certain that you were; but I did have my suspicions at one point or another."

Kelsi grinned in reply. "Like what? I'm honestly just curious to know, I guess."

"Well, nothing bad," Sharpay continued, appearing to be struggling a bit with the conversation. "Just the way you dress sometimes, coat, tie, and hat. The fact that you're not really the typical high school girl," Sharpay looked up, nervous, "But, uh, not in a bad way, I just mean that you're unique. And sometimes I'd see the way you look at some girls and it reminded me of the way that _I_look at some girls -"

Kelsi interrupted with a laugh, "Like Gabriella, you mean?"

Sharpay looked confused.

"Oh, not you, I mean me," Kelsi clarified, feeling like the wall between she and Sharpay had been cut in half since their disclosures.

"You have a crush on Gabriella?" Sharpay asked, her emotions hard to read.

"Ugh, the biggest," Kelsi said, and then quickly corrected herself, "Oh, not anymore, thankfully, but during Twinkle Towne, yeah. I know this is going to sound bad, but I thought she was too nice and non-materialistic to be straight, like most of the girls at East," she said with a laugh. "But then it became clear that she was in fact straight, like almost every girl I fall for, and I put up that emotional block. Now that we've gotten to know each other, it would almost be weird, like, even if she asked me out right now, I don't think I could. It'd be like dating family." Feeling that she was rambling, Kelsi closed off her tangent with, "Anyway, I thought she was who you were referring to when you said me looking at girls."

Sharpay paused, and when she spoke sounded oddly defensive. "Oh, I'm not sure I had anyone specific in mind, just trying to answer your question. I don't know, it's not really been easy to tell. It's not exactly like you're out at school," Sharpay sniped.

In turn, Kelsi felt a bit defensive back. "Well, no, not exactly, but there are a good number of people who know."

"There are? Who?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, your brother for one," Kelsi stated. "He was the first one I told, after he came out to me. But yeah, Gabriella, Troy, Martha, Taylor, Jason…" Kelsi's voice trailed off as she paused to think. "Yeah, I think that's it."

Sharpay's eyes were larger than Kelsi thought they could ever be. "Troy? Taylor? Jason?! Your own boyfriend knows?"

"Sharpay, you and I both know that it's kind of a big part of who a person is. I figure if they want to know the real me, that's part of the package. I'm shy enough as it is, and I don't want to trust the people I actually let in my life just to have them turn their backs on me later once they find out the truth."

Sharpay was momentarily silenced from both admiration and jealousy. "What about your dad?"

Kelsi nodded. "Yeah, he knows, too."

The blonde was even more intrigued. She had no clue that Kelsi had all of this courage stored up somewhere. And that's what coming out was, no matter who it was to or how accepting they may seem to be - courage. "Really? When? Is he okay with it?"

Kelsi could sense Sharpay's eagerness and tension and she rested her hand on Sharpay's shoulder once again, this time realizing that her own hand was slightly trembling for some reason. "Whoa. One question at a time, okay?"

Sharpay nodded in compliance. Kelsi felt odd being the one "in control" of their conversation.

"Freshman year, I had my first girlfriend. She doesn't go to East or anything, we met online. That was when the 'wondering' if I was bi or gay changed to 'knowing.' My dad is my best friend in the world, and either this was something I had to tell him and have him know and be okay with, or something I had to adjust to him not being okay with. But either way, I sat him down and asked him if he loved me no matter what. He said yes, and I believed him. I told him that I had a girlfriend and that I didn't know what that 'made me' as far as labels go, but that's just where I was at," Kelsi said, again feeling like she was rambling. Interestingly enough, this conversation with Sharpay was probably the most words Kelsi had spoken in a month.

Sharpay's eyes were darting back and forth with anticipation for her to finish the story. "And? What did he say?" she demanded in true Sharpay fashion.

Kelsi smiled. "He asked, 'So, is she a cutie?'"

The two girls both burst out laughing, another first for them. To an outsider, they looked like middle school girls who had known each other since birth at their hundredth sleepover party together. But again, just as quickly as it appeared, Sharpay's smile faded and Kelsi anticipated the onset of tears about to flow.

Before any could fall, she cleared her throat and blinked feverishly. "This is all so stupid! And I know crying about it isn't going to help the situation," Sharpay said, mustering up all the bravado she could.

But Kelsi saw through it. "You're a human being. It's okay to be sad."

"Oh, no. I'm more than just sad at this point. I'm confused and pissed and frustrated, and just… everything," Sharpay sighed.

"That's okay, too. Just _talk _about it for God's sake. You can't just ignore it," Kelsi urged.

"That's all I've ever done; ignored it. I've ignored the crushes, the thoughts, the fact that being gay obviously runs in the family, meaning Ryan. I even ignored the hook-ups I've had with girls I've met on the net. I just told myself that I was just going through a phase," Sharpay said, averting her eyes, which was probably for the best, since Kelsi probably didn't do a great job hiding her unexplained disappointment.

"But why?" Kelsi asked. "If it's just because of your parents? How did you know that they'd react the way they did?"

Sharpay let out an unexpected cynical laugh that startled Kelsi a bit. "Well, my parents haven't always been subtle about the specific plans they have for me, or Ryan for that matter. School years in the spotlight, making sure everyone knows who the Evans' twins are. Summers promoting and basking in our status at our country club. After high school, Wellesley for me, my mom's alma mater, and U of A for Ryan, Daddy's alma mater. I'm to make a name for myself in fashion and beauty, and Ryan's supposed to be the sports guy. In turn, we're supposed to marry into money, which means choosing suitors that happen to be the sons and daughters of our parents' friends, etcetera, etcetera. But then Ryan rocked the boat when he came out to mother and daddy about a year and a half ago."

"Wait, you mean Ryan told your parents?" Kelsi asked, surprised that the obedient boy had it in him.

"Well, I don't think it was really something he planned. Ryan and Daddy got into their millionth fight about his behavior. Daddy wanted him playing baseball, not in the drama club, wearing sweats, not berets, and just being everything Ryan isn't. During the screaming match, Ryan told them. It was… out of control," Sharpay said.

"What happened?" Kelsi inquired.

"Well, I don't know if you remember, but Ryan wasn't in school the last week before Christmas break sophomore year. Mother and Daddy sent him to a center for reparative therapy," the blonde squirmed just saying the words.

Kelsi was confused. "Meaning?"

"Reparative therapy," Sharpay repeated. "They try and _repair _the gay out of you."

"That's awful! I didn't know places like that actually existed!" Kelsi exclaimed.

"Not only do they exist, but they exist in our very own state. Ry was sent to a place called 'The Road Home' in Santa Fe. They kept him there all throughout Christmas break, until the 2nd week of school." Sharpay breathed heavily. Although Ryan seemed to be her lapdog, Kelsi could tell in this moment how much the choked up girl loved her brother. Further proof that Sharpay could need and love you and have an odd way of showing it. A forbidden droplet slipped from Sharpay's eye and slid down her cheek. "I know it sounds stupid, but I actually worried that he wasn't ever going to come back." She exhaled. "And now that's where they're going to send me."

Kelsi instinctively jumped in even though she wasn't sure herself what Mr. and Mrs. Evans would do. "Sharpay, I really don't think they'd do that. I mean, they can't just - I don't know, I mean it didn't even work with Ryan, he's still gay!"

Sharpay breathed out, exasperated. "Well, _I _know that, but my parents don't. Ryan knew just as much as I did that the only way to make things okay again was to pretend to be straight, that the therapy worked. My parents think he has a girlfriend, now."

Kelsi couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Ryan with a girlfriend. "A girlfriend? Who?"

"Some girl he met at 'The Road Home.' In reality she's a non-reformed lesbian who I actually ended up hooking up with, but nonetheless. I mean, maybe they know the truth deep down, but at least they've been able to pretend. My parents haven't said two words about the whole thing since. And I had to go screw it up. I never thought they'd find my Myspace. I set it to private, I even signed up under a different name so no one could search for me. I didn't bother logging out because I didn't think anyone would touch my computer…"

"Look, Hun," Kelsi began, causing Sharpay to look up at the term of endearment, "You can't beat yourself up with what you could or should have done. All you can do now is focus on the present."

"The present? That's the scary part," Sharpay sighed. "With Ryan it was bad enough, but it wasn't too much of a shock. Now with me, it's like a second hit, especially since they made it clear that all their hopes and dreams were riding on me."

Kelsi swallowed. "Wow. I can't imagine that kind of pressure."

A few more unwanted tears fell down the rich girl's face. "That's all it is. Pressure. My parents talk about being 'an Evans' like it's this wonderful, unique thing. But all it really means is being an expensive, holier-than-thou cookie cutter. All I've wanted to do is break the mold, and that's just unacceptable!"

By now, Sharpay was crying steadily again, and Kelsi put her arm around the other girl's waist, fitting into a perfect notch that their bodies made together. Despite the fact that the temperature in the room seemed to rise, Kelsi caught her breath. "Shh. It's going to be okay. I can't really explain how yet, but I feel like we came together like this for a reason. So, maybe it's a sign that things are going to get better."

Sharpay must have been at least temporarily satisfied with Kelsi's optimism, because she said nothing, and cautiously rested her head on top of Kelsi's.

After moments of silence, the blonde spoke up. "Really? Gabriella?" Sharpay asked in a high-pitched tone of disbelief that made both she and Kelsi suddenly laugh after all the emotional intensity.

"You seem to have a hard time believing that," Kelsi said with a smile.

"Well, maybe it's just because of our head-bumping that I never really saw her as crush-worthy. I guess now that I think of it, she's kind of cute," Sharpay said non-convincingly. "She does have a nice figure."

"Nah, know what it was for me? The eyes," Kelsi said, "Deep brown eyes make me melt."

"Really?" Sharpay asked, sounding just as surprised as before. "They don't do it for me. I love bright blue eyes. I've always been jealous of Ryan and wish that I had his eye color," she giggled.

"Oh, no, no, your eyes are stunning," Kelsi said a little too quickly. Her own blue eyes grew large, and she couldn't believe she let that slip.

The tone of the conversation noticeably changed as both girls felt subconsciously pulled a bit closer to each other.

"Thank you," Sharpay breathed softly. "Yours are beautiful, too. They were the first thing I noticed about you."

_Holy fuck_, Kelsi thought. _Am I about to kiss Sharpay?_

Sharpay bit her bottom lip and released it, making Kelsi feel like the whole world wouldn't collapse in on her if she did in fact kiss the other girl. But when Sharpay's cell phone sounded loudly in the utter silence of the room, both girls were startled at the world's worst interruption.

"Ooh, sorry, it's a text message" Sharpay said after Kelsi jumped nearly out of her skin. Sharpay sighed. "It's from Ryan. '_if ur not home in 30 mom & dad r calling cops.'_" Sharpay recited to Kelsi. "I guess I have to face the music sometime," Sharpay relented, the sudden pallid color of her face allowing Kelsi to see how nervous she really was.

A bundle of nerves herself, Kelsi shakily interjected, "Yeah. Speaking of music, we didn't really get to work on much. Do you want to get together tomorrow during free period?"

"If I'm still alive tomorrow, that'd be nice," Sharpay said with a soft smile.

"Okay. Let me walk you out," Kelsi offered.

…InsertBandofStarsThatIndicatesPassageofTimeHere…

After Sharpay left, Kelsi broke up with Jason.

She felt badly doing it over the phone, but even Jason, who was a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, wasn't too surprised. To say their relationship was superficial would have been a compliment, and even though they were comfortable with their "just because" romance, Kelsi promised herself that as soon as she took an interest in someone else, she would call things off, which is precisely what she did.

Although the whole situation didn't help Kelsi's sleep. One more sleepless night and the girl would have been a ghost. Her attempts at slumber were slightly more successful than the night before, but for most of the night she was up thinking about Sharpay, and questioning every second of it. She admitted to herself that she had always found the brown-eyed girl physically attractive, but their love-hate-mostly-hate relationship always prevented Kelsi from feeling anything more. Kelsi normally didn't fall fast, but things with Sharpay changed and happen so drastically and quickly that her emotions followed suit.

She was baffled and intrigued by her urge and opportunity to kiss the President of the Drama Club, but even more so that Sharpay didn't seem to turn her away, either. Kelsi reveled in the idea of the two finally at least developing a rapport and felt like a kid on a roller coaster, excited to see where things would lead.

Kelsi arrived at school the next day wearing a blue shirt, since she had been told countless times that blue brings out her eyes. She was rehearsing what to say and do when she saw Sharpay. Should she mention the day before? The almost kiss? Were they to hug? The composer was a bundle of nerves, but she finally settled on a casual, yet friendly greeting at their lockers and walking to homeroom together.

The petite girl cleaned off her glasses as she waited for Sharpay to arrive, slightly worried that it was almost time for homeroom and the always-punctual girl was not yet around. Then, Kelsi heard what she was certain was Sharpay's laugh coming from around the corner as she leaned over to confirm.

The slender actress was standing at Zeke's, one of the Wildcats', locker. Zeke was leaning on his arm against his locker, possessively, like every guy in movies and TV does when he's talking to the girl he likes, and Sharpay was giggling like a mindless schoolgirl, which prior to the day before, Kelsi didn't realize was an act. She leaned in further to hear their conversation.

"What made you change your mind?" Zeke asked, his face lit up.

"Well, I just decided I needed a change, and everyone says good things about you. So, I figured, why not? Especially if you bake me some more of those cookies!" Sharpay gushed.

Kelsi couldn't bear anymore of the conversation as she felt the sting of what she feared were tears in her eyes. It shouldn't have hurt her so much, but it did. The brunette told herself that she was just sad to see someone struggle so much with a part of themselves that they can't change, and while that was partly true, Kelsi knew deep down that she was in way over her head and couldn't swim.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its components. Nor do I own "The L Word," which appears in this chapter. (Years of writing femslash and it had to happen sometime!)**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Um, okay, so on a CREEPY note -- I've dealt with the weirdest/most intense instance of life imitating art this weekend when something damn near close to this chapter happened in my actual life, and the whole time I was thinking _"My Kelpay story?!"_ I won't go into specific details as to not ruin anything, but yeah... just had to throw that out there:-p**

**Aside from that, thank you again for being so patient. First week back from break has been a bit chaotic and I've been lucky to stop and breathe let alone write anything of value. This chapter is quick and the one after it is complete, soo I will post it soon after this one :) Thanks again to my faithful readers, you truly make my day!! **

If someone had put a gun to Kelsi's head and forced her to accurately predict where she was going to be that day after school, she would have had little to no chance of living. Especially after everything that had happened earlier in the day, she would have never guessed that she and Sharpay would be back in that pink convertible, heading back from Blockbuster with a cornucopia of lesbian movies and TV shows, and en route to the less fortunate girl's house.

Earlier that day during homeroom, Sharpay didn't know that Kelsi had overheard her little "reunion" with Zeke because she looked confused when Kelsi barely returned her smile and wave across the room. By the time free period rolled around, a very unimpressed and hurt composer was waiting for her singer. Almost immediately after Sharpay walked in, 5 minutes late, Kelsi couldn't bite her tongue before asking, "So, how's Zeke?"

That's all Kelsi had to say to scare Sharpay into thinking that battle lines were drawn. She spent just about the entirety of free period throwing out defense after defense, including that she was just dating Zeke to appease her parents, even if he didn't know that. She reminded Kelsi that they had agreed to be friends the day before and assured Kelsi that she could really use a friend. The blonde continued to insist that their friendship could uniquely help them both since now they had someone to share things with. And thus, here they were, day #2 in Sharpay's girl-mobile.

The brunette glanced at the speedometer, convinced that Sharpay had to have been speeding based on the time that they arrived at Kelsi's house in. The rich girl parked her convertible next to the beat-up Thunderbird and had an unexplained ear-to-ear grin on her face as she grabbed the DVD's and headed for the front door. Kelsi tried her best to guard herself, but she couldn't help but smile and blush in return as she followed behind the taller girl into her own house.

They made a quick pit stop to chat with Mr. Nielsen, who looked between the two girls and wondered what the chances of his daughter and Sharpay becoming more than just friends were. He always knew that Kelsi was really happy with someone or something when "her eyes smiled," as he liked to put it. Kelsi's eyes did a lot of smiling around Sharpay.

Since The Nielsen's didn't have a DVD player in the living room, the girls resorted to the one on Kelsi's computer, which was probably for the best since Sharpay's first program of choice was "The L Word." Both girls had only seen a few episodes, and in truth it wasn't really Kelsi's cup of tea from what she had seen, but Sharpay looked like a little kid at Disneyland for the first time, so Kelsi went along.

The two new friends sat against the backboard of Kelsi's bed and rested the laptop in front of them near the foot of the bed. Sharpay noticed how Kelsi handled her computer as if it were a child, it being one of her most prized, expensive, hard-earned possessions besides of course her piano, but the girl who had everything never made any condescending remarks about the girl who was just getting by's financial situation.

The first several minutes of the pilot episode played on without interruption before Sharpay interjected, "Oh my God, Shane is _sooo_hot!"

Kelsi rolled her eyes and smiled. "Typical!" she jested.

Sharpay raised her eyebrows and gave Kelsi a whack with the pillow she was leaning up against. "Uh! Excuse you!" Sharpay playfully scoffed. "What do you mean typical?"

"I just mean that she seems to be the ultimate lesbian heartthrob and she's just not my type. Now, Alice, on the other hand…" Kelsi raised her eyebrows and her voice trailed off.

"Well, yeah, she's cute, too, I mean, they're all cute, but I like Shane the best. I like that slightly ambiguous/dash of tomboy thing, but still clearly a girl. Plus the dark hair and blue eyes, of course," Sharpay said, pausing the DVD before they missed any more.

"Again, typical," Kelsi laughed.

"Oh, whatever!" Sharpay contested, "What does you liking Alice say about you? You like bisexual journalists?"

"Not necessarily, but you know, blonde hair, brown eyes. She's a bit more on the feminine side, confident, yet still surprisingly funny and compassionate," Kelsi finished.

And they both paused to let the obvious irony sink in.

To break the silence, Sharpay leaned forward and let the DVD resume. When she scooted back next to Kelsi, however, she paused for a second before nestling her head into the space between Kelsi's neck and chin. Kelsi could actually hear the escalation of her heart pounding as she dared to glance at Sharpay to see if her face gave any indication of what she was doing. Sharpay, however, was just watching the computer screen, a small, peaceful smile gracing her lips. Since the talented singer was being as nonchalant as ever, Kelsi tried to stop her arm from shaking as she lifted and placed it around Sharpay, causing the blonde to loosen up even more and throw her arm lazily across Kelsi's stomach.

That's how almost every day went for the next month or so. Mr. and Mrs. Evans foolishly thought Sharpay was after school watching Zeke play basketball, disregarding Sharpay's blatant disinterest in sports. Zeke foolishly thought Sharpay was taking private voice lessons, disregarding Sharpay's raw talent and ego. All the while the starlet was really at the composer's house on the other side of town, watching The L Word, talking, and cuddling.

Although Kelsi knew she didn't have the heart or desire to be mad at or impatient with Sharpay, things still didn't feel quite right. Zeke, in fact, was an innocent byproduct of this playact, and even though Kelsi and Sharpay never discussed a romantic relationship or did anything beyond cuddling, it felt really close to cheating. Furthermore, the brunette couldn't help but feel that by hosting Sharpay's private world of gayness, she was further encouraging her to remain on the down low, allowing Sharpay to comfortably "pass" as heterosexual instead of coming to terms with who she really was. But all of it - the social and moral bearings - weren't enough pressure to force Kelsi to compromise the feeling like never before that she got in her stomach when Sharpay was in her arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its components. **

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, I've had this chapter kicking around for over a week now, but I wasn't able to post it until I completed chapter 6, and now they're both done - YAY:-D Many thanks again to any and all reviews, as they help keep me motivated and on the right track! Anyone that has e-mail alerts set will probably notice that I am making changes to Chapter 2, but it's just something minor that I need to correct for coherence and nothing altering to the plot. Please read and review while I prepare to wrap this story up! **

Every year since 8th grade, Sharpay and Ryan threw an Almost-End-of-the-Year party on the Friday night before Spring Break. Kelsi always knew about it, but this was the first year she was invited. At first she was dreading it, not wanting to watch Zeke and Sharpay hang all over each other like a match made in hetero heaven. But once Ryan informed her that Zeke was going on vacation and wouldn't be at the party, Kelsi decided to go all out. Why not let Sharpay see what she was missing out on, right?

Mr. Nielsen had noticed that his daughter seemed to dash off the school bus and straight into her room, tossing clothes on and off, apparently not finding what she was looking for. He knocked on her bedroom door and waited for her to appear.

"What's up, Dad?" she asked.

"You going someplace special?" Mr. Nielsen asked, wondering if it had anything to do with what he suspected.

And it did. "Sharpay's having a party tonight, and I just thought it'd be nice to dress up."

Kelsi and Mr. Nielsen hadn't had the official "talk" about Kelsi's newfound feelings, but they knew each other better than anyone else, and her father was not immune to this, either. A grin appeared on his face as he rifled through his pockets.

"Look, Champ, I know it's not much, but uh, here," he said, pulling 2 twenty dollar bills out of his wallet. "Go knock her dead."

Kelsi had to hold back tears when she threw her arms around her dad, thankful that he was in her life. And while $40 may not have been a fortune, Kelsi's dad had taught her the right places to shop to make it worth her while.

She decided on a spaghetti-strapped, silver, semi-formal dress that fell just above the knee. It hugged her slim figure, but not too tight, and the dress turned an almost teal blue when reflected in the light. She straightened her hair with an actual iron in place of a hair straightener (a tip from Sharpay), and by the time she left her house at 7:45, she had a feeling that it would all be worth it.

By the time she got to the Evans' house, Kelsi had to park a ways away from the front door due to the large number of cars. She suddenly felt a lot more jittery as she went to ring the doorbell.

Ryan opened the door and as soon as he saw the brunette on the other side of it, he grabbed her into a bear hug. "There she is!" he exclaimed to no one in particular.

Kelsi laughed. "Hey, Ry."

"Oh my God, you look _fantastic_!" he exclaimed, spinning her around to scope out the outfit.

"Thank you," Kelsi blushed.

"No, I'm serious! I mean you're always gorgeous, but who knew you could be such a little hottie!"

Kelsi gave Ryan a playful push. "Oh, stop, you're just being nice."

"Fine, don't believe me," Ryan said with a smile as he hung up Kelsi's coat and led her into the living room. "Oh, I want you to meet my, uh," Ryan looked around to see if his parents were there, "_Girlfriend_," he said in a suggestive tone. Kelsi rolled her eyes, but had to laugh. "Natalie, this is Kelsi; Kelsi, Natalie."

Natalie was pretty cute. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, a bit tomboyish but leaning more towards femme-y. Kelsi reluctantly shook her hand, not enjoying the images she was getting in her head of she and the girl she had feelings for "hooking up," whatever that entailed. And it made it worse that Natalie was shamelessly observing Kelsi like her next piece of ass.

"Well, hello," Natalie said. "Ryan, why didn't you tell me how cute she is?"

"Easy,_girlfriend_," Ryan reminded her.

There was nothing Kelsi detested more than gay girls who tried to emulate the worst part about men. Drooling, hounding, staring. Nothing like -

"Hey, Sharpay!" Ryan piped up.

Kelsi turned around to face Sharpay, but the smile was quickly wiped off her face when she saw the object of her affection linked arms with "boyfriend" Zeke, who was tagging along like a goofy pup, brandishing a tray of appetizers that Kelsi assumed he made. What a fruit.

Sharpay looked even more surprised than Kelsi as it took her a second to even speak. "Wow. Kelsi. You look incredible."

"Thanks," Kelsi exhaled, bitterly.

Sharpay reached for a hug, and Kelsi complied, but the tension was obvious, and they broke their embrace quickly.

Zeke extended the tray of food to Kelsi. "Hey, Kels. Care to try a drumette?"

"No, I'm good," Kelsi stated. "Uh, actually, Ryan, could you show me to the bathroom?"

Sharpay wasn't buying it. "Kelsi, you know where the bathroom -"

Not even glancing Sharpay's way, Kelsi kept on, "Ryan, please."

Ryan knew he was in trouble with Kelsi and probably with his sister, too as he begrudgingly stood from the couch and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He looked around a few times before stepping inside with her and shutting the door.

"What happened to Zeke going on vacation?" Kelsi interrogated.

Ryan tried to think of a lie, but wasn't quick enough.

"You mean you knew all along that he was going to be here? Why did you lie to me?" Kelsi asked, near furious.

"Kelsi, I'm sorry! I knew you wouldn't come to the party if you knew Zeke was coming," Ryan pleaded.

"No, I probably wouldn't have," Kelsi retorted. "But you and I could have hung out any other time, you know that."

"This isn't about us. Well, I mean, kind of, I knew I'd have no one to talk to but Natalie if you didn't come, but more than that, this is about you and Sharpay," Ryan sighed.

"There_is _no me and Sharpay, Ryan. I can wish and hope as much as I want to, but the truth is, she's with Zeke, not me."

"I know, but I think you should be together. I mean, yeah, I'm lying to my parents about Natalie, but that's all it is. I'm not actually trying to be in a straight relationship like Sharpay is, and eventually it's going to catch up to her. She can't hide like this forever," Ryan said.

"Ryan, I know all of this, and I'm just as frustrated about it as you are," Kelsi stated.

"No… you don't understand. Growing up, Sharpay and I never had a lot of friends. I know everyone would expect the opposite, but there's a difference between friends and forced acquaintances. Sharpay is my best friend and even though she's a pain in the ass sometimes, I just want her to be happy. I think you could be great for her. You're everything each other's not and everything each other needs. And even though she hasn't said anything, I think she really does like you."

Kelsi exhaled and then smiled, knowing that the blonde boy was right. "She_is _a pain in the ass sometimes," Kelsi smirked.

"Yeah, and not in a good way!" Ryan joked.

Kelsi was shocked into near-hysterical laughter as she and Ryan hugged tightly.

"All right. I'll go talk to her. That is if she can un-cling herself from Zeke for 2 seconds," Kelsi scoffed.

"Thanks, Kels," Ryan smiled. "I'm going to get back to Nat before she hits on a girl in front of my parents and blows our cover."

Kelsi inched open the door to the bathroom and after seeing there was no one around, stepped out and set off to find Sharpay.

When she did find her, the brown-eyed girl was - surprise, surprise - canoodling on a couch with her boyfriend, opposite the other all-star couple, Troy and Gabriella.

"Oh my God, look at you!" Gabriella exclaimed, standing from the couch to give Kelsi a hug. "You look beautiful!"

Kelsi thanked Gabriella and hugged the tan-skinned girl for a few extra seconds, glancing at Sharpay over her shoulder to see if maybe she would feel a little jealousy in turn. Sharpay wasn't even looking, however, and Kelsi made momentary small talk with Troy and Gabriella as she took a seat between Gabriella and Zeke.

Sharpay interrupted their chatter by speaking to Kelsi. "Oh, Kelsi! Zeke has a friend that he works with at 'The Y' that you might be interested in!"

_Oh, Sharpay_, Kelsi thought, _Don't you dare go there._

"Come again?" Kelsi asked, hoping that she was sending Sharpay telepathic signals to back off.

"Yeah," Zeke chimed in, "Sharpay mentioned that it might be fun if we double dated sometime, and since you an Jay didn't work out, there's this guy at work, Andrew, that you might really like."

"Oh, I've met him, Kelsi, he's totally cute. Brown hair, brown eyes, good dresser, he even plays piano! So, what do you think?" Sharpay asked, no signs in her eyes indicating that she was joking or feeling at all remorseful.

"I think that as safe and conforming as that sounds, I'm no actress, Sharpay. I can't pretend to be someone I'm not," Kelsi replied as she turned to leave.

While it didn't give too much away, the group of teenagers were still shocked at the normally quiet girl's random-seeming outburst. Without saying a word, Sharpay stood up to follow Kelsi, and didn't give her much choice when she grabbed her by the wrist and nearly dragged her up the stairs to the privacy of her bedroom.

"What the hell was that?!" Sharpay barked. "How dare you do that in front of everyone?"

Kelsi was convinced that her face was near purple at this point. "How dare _I?_ How dare _you_? How dare you spit on me with your athlete boyfriend and try and tame me into your dysfunctional world of make-believe?"

Sharpay stepped toward Kelsi, putting her hands on Kelsi's shoulders. "Come on, you know that I have to pretend that Zeke and I are a couple to get my parents off my back."

Kelsi released herself from Sharpay's grip. "Sharpay, there's a fine line between pretending and becoming, and once you cross it, it's not going to be easy to get back,"

The blonde girl, who was looking stunning that evening herself, looked confused. "No, Kelsi, you need to understand -"

"No,_you _need to understand!" Kelsi cut in, not backing down this time. "I always keep my mouth shut to make people happy, but whether I should or not, I care about you, so I need to say this. I know you say you're doing this for your parents, but I don't buy it. _Ryan's _dating Natalie for your parents, because it's just a cover. They don't really hold hands and kiss and go on dates, especially not out of your parents' line of sight."

"Kelsi, that's not fair -"

"No,_listen _to me! I'm not done!" Kelsi all but shouted. Sharpay obeyed. "You're using an innocent guy who did nothing wrong but worship you to help you try and ignore the fact that you didn't turn out exactly the way your mommy and daddy wanted you to, and you just don't know any other way to deal. You're lying to Zeke, you're worrying Ryan. And me?…" Kelsi exclaimed, sounding like she was going to continue, but then couldn't. Any bravery the smaller girl had mustered up was gone at this point as she started to tremble and bit her lip.

Sharpay's eyes were wide with fear and concern as she once again dared to put her hands on Kelsi's shoulders. "What, what about you? Kelsi, you know I would never want to hurt you. And if I did, please, tell me what I can do to make it up."

Kelsi looked up at Sharpay, eyes misty. The blue-eyed girl felt that her words must not have carried much weight since Sharpay appeared not to know Kelsi's growing feelings. She figured there must have been another way to show her.

With her trembling hands, Kelsi took Sharpay's face in her hands and pulled their lips together in nothing short of a passionate, spur-of-the-moment, impulsive kiss. Kelsi got that feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when you reach the height of the roller coaster to be plunged to the bottom in a split second. She felt Sharpay gasp at the collision of their lips, and even though their kiss only lasted a few seconds, both girls felt dizzy, lightheaded, and short of breath when Kelsi broke the kiss.

Sharpay, whose eyes were also close to misting over, looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, Kelsi spoke up.

"Have a good break, Sharpay," Kelsi said as she headed toward the door.

Even though Sharpay tried to stop her, Kelsi nearly flew down the stairs, grabbed her coat, and walked out the door, scurrying to her dad's car in the dark. She wiped a tear away from her eye as she accidentally closed her new dress in the door. Maybe it wasn't enough luck, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own High School Musical or any of its components. I do, however, own the song that Kelsi writes for Sharpay. I wrote it and it's copyrighted, so please don't steal, or ask permission first :)**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so in 2 words -- FINALLY and SORRY! I know it has taken an eternity to update, and I thank you all so much who are still reading for hanging on. I'm thinking next chapter will wrap this up, so I really appreciate it. College is crazy and I have to keep my priorities straight even when I don't want to ;) That being said, please review. This took me forever.  
**

**Without further ado... enjoy!**

Although Kelsi herself implied that she did not plan on seeing Sharpay until break was over, she clung to the hope that Sharpay would call her and tell her that she and Zeke broke it off. That she wanted to be with her, instead. By Wednesday, the most she had gotten was a text message reading, _"hoping you are well."_

As much as she knew she could talk to her dad, he had been working overtime to keep up with all his new paint jobs, and there was an element of embarrassment Kelsi couldn't deny. Her dad knew that she had been falling for Sharpay, but he didn't know that the night Kelsi was supposed to be "knocking her crush dead," she actually floundered and had been practically making herself sick over it. Since she didn't want to talk to her dad, and Ryan was too close to the situation to be impartial, she turned to the one friend she had unconditionally; music.

The young pianist had never thrown herself into her work like this before. She was up when her dad left for work and usually still going when he got home in the evening. She was rehearsing and retuning old songs, inventing countless new ones, but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to get any further in the song that Sharpay was to sing. She'd start to go in one direction, decide she didn't like it, scrap it, and start over. All she wanted was a little musical therapy to provide clarity on the situation, and even that wasn't working this time.

When Kelsi had feelings for Gabriella, it didn't take more than literally a day or two to put an emotional block up and realize that it simply wasn't going to happen. She accepted the fact that they were to be friends, and that was that. With Sharpay, however, it was like nothing she had ever experienced, and it was scaring her. Even though the two only had few memories together to speak of, almost everything reminded Kelsi of her time with the beautiful performer. Even the anger and frustration toward the blonde for putting on a rouse didn't last long, although at the same time, while Sharpay may have been able to get out of trouble by smiling the weeks leading up to vacation, somehow that wasn't enough anymore. In a way, Kelsi wished it were, because she feared that soon enough, the friendship that they barely got a taste of would be pulled away.

Friday of break rolled around and Kelsi realized that the Spring Talent Show was only a week away. Regardless of what she and Sharpay were dealing with, she had promised the starlet a completed song in time, and Kelsi never broke her promises. She knew she had to work fast, though, since they were going to need to practice soon and Kelsi was still stuck for lyrics.

For the first time all week, she reached for her cell phone and started typing a text message to Sharpay. Similar to the song attempts, Kelsi started to write, and then erase a couple times over until she decided on a simple: _"hey do u want to rehearse free per. on mon?" _

As much as Kelsi was prepared to wait anxiously for the other girl's response, she instead shut off her phone so that she could start writing immediately. She decided that since music was supposed to be raw, from the heart, and unfiltered, that was exactly how she would write it.

For the first time in her life, Kelsi skipped homeroom. She wandered outside, spending most of the time behind the courtyard statue that obstructed her from view. She eyed her watch carefully, entering the building and into the main office with only a few minutes in homeroom to spare, taking her first ever late slip and knowing that she would need 2 more strikes to be in any real trouble. With the leftover minutes, she dashed to her locker before anyone joined her and waited outside the door to her first actual class.

When free period approached, her stomach was in a mess of knots. It was no longer the exciting prospect of a roller coaster ride, but instead more like watching the cables of your elevator being snipped with a giant pair of shears when you're on the top floor of a 12-story building. It's something like impending doom topped with the feeling of every nerve ending clenching up, knowing exactly what's to come.

Once again, the clock read 5 minutes past 12 when Sharpay opened the door to the music room and quietly shut it behind her. She hovered near the door for a minute, like a little kid waiting for her mother's approval to be let out of a time out. Kelsi wasn't sure if this imbalance of power was a good or bad thing, but reverted to her cautious self and remained guarded.

A greeting wouldn't hurt though, Kelsi thought. "Hi."

"Hi."

"You're late."

"I know."

"Let's get started."

"Do you hate me?"

The series of dialogue was so quick that Sharpay's last question threw Kelsi particularly. She didn't look up when she spoke, just forward at her sheet music. "I've tried. To hate you, that is. I've tried really hard. But I could never hate you, Sharpay. You know that." She dared to glance at Sharpay out of the corner of her eye, and in place of the smile she imagined to see, the blonde simply gave a downcast nod.

After a moment of silence, Kelsi dug through her folder to find a completed copy of the music. "It has lyrics now. Since the show is coming up, let's see how it sounds just a straight run-through."

"I need you to sing it first," Sharpay mumbled, "I can't read music."

"I thought you could -"

"Well, I can tell the direction of notes, but I can't just sight read," Sharpay said, a little defensive, a little hurt. "Can you just sing it please?"

"Sharpay, I'm not much of a singer," Kelsi protested, internally panicking at the prospect of having to sing this song for the girl who it was directed to. If Sharpay sang it, it was up to her to interpret what she wanted to get out of it, but Kelsi knew that aside from the fact that singing wasn't her forte, she couldn't disguise the emotion behind it when push came to shove.

Sharpay wasn't budging, however, and in truth Kelsi couldn't really expect more from her than she could realistically produce. "Okay, okay, fine, but I didn't intend on doing this, just for the record," Kelsi sighed. She was getting flustered and for the first time in days, Kelsi caught a glimpse of a smile from Sharpay. Apparently she thought it was cute.

The composer re-arranged the music in front of her and took several deep breaths before shaky fingers settled on the keys and began to play the familiar melody. Sharpay was standing behind her so closely that it would have taken a mere shift of centimeters for them to be touching, and this time it did make Kelsi nervous. After the traditional 8-bar intro, Kelsi began to sing the lyrics she had spent all of vacation crafting:

_VERSE 1:_

_I'm not sure what I'm feeling_

_But I know the page is stealing_

_Thoughts from me_

_And I let it_

_I'm not sure what I'm thinking_

_But I know my ship is sinking_

_Helplessly_

_I regret it_

_I regret the sleepless nights_

_I regret the useless fights_

_All leading up to something I can't win_

_I will ask you if I might_

_Do you recognize my plight_

_Or write me off as an unwanted sin?_

_CHORUS:_

_And why -- why won't you let me save you?_

_And I -- I am not a superhero, Baby_

_But I'm thinking that just maybe_

_I could break the mold and fly away with you…_

Before Kelsi could play another note, she was startled by what proved to be a teardrop that rolled down Sharpay's cheek and landed on the nape of Kelsi's neck. Although the brown-eyed girl had cried in front of her several times now (even though Kelsi was previously convinced that she would never see it happen), she knew something was off. These tears _felt _different.

Kelsi turned around quickly to face Sharpay, thinking she was going to turn away or leave. Instead, Sharpay surprised the both of them by grabbing Kelsi by the shoulders, kissing her against the piano and creating a cacophony of dissident sounds, one of them being a sharp intake of air from the smaller girl. Sharpay captured Kelsi's bottom lip into her mouth, tracing her tongue across it as a non-verbal request for entrance, which the brunette eagerly granted by darting her tongue out to greet Sharpay's.

If Kelsi's thoughts could have been heard out loud, they would have sounded something like, "_OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod…" _Her idea of this connection that she and Sharpay could have music was so built up in her mind for months, maybe even longer, and now it was really happening.

Urgent to hold onto this moment and never give it back, Kelsi put her hand behind Sharpay's head and passionately threw her on her back onto the piano bench and continued to kiss out all of her emotions. Sharpay's legs, that were awkwardly dangling off the piano bench in mid air, wrapped around Kelsi's lower back. There were moments where the two stopped briefly to catch their breath, and although they both considered saying something, they silently agreed that it a moment where words were not necessary.

During a catch-breath, Kelsi reached down to finish drying the chilly tear that still marked Sharpay's cheek, and a second afterward, the blonde surprised the brunette with her physical strength as she lifted herself and Kelsi off the bench and regained her usual position in control as she laid the smaller on her back on the floor and hovered over her as they continued to kiss behind the piano.

The young lovers were too caught up in their infatuation to notice that 15 minutes had passed since they began kissing. They also were too caught up to notice Ms. Darbus as she opened the door to the music room to retrieve some sheet music.

She removed her glasses and squinted to make sure it was, in fact, two sets of feet on top of one another protruding from the other side of the piano. Shenanigans - in her chapel of music - never!

She stormed over to the piano and raised her voice, "All right, party's over!" she began, but was perhaps more startled than the girls were to find her star performer and talented composer.

The color left all three of their faces, and Sharpay and Kelsi prepared for a monologue of verbal abuse followed by a visit to the principal's office. Instead, the colorful teacher stumbled backwards into the piano, haphazardly leafed through copies of sheet music on top of the piano until she found the one she was looking for, and practically flew out of the room.

Sharpay and Kelsi weren't sure whether to laugh, cry, or both. After a moment of confused and grateful silence, Sharpay spoke up for the first time in the now 20 minutes.

"So… car's out back. Free period and lunch off campus?" she spoke concisely.

Kelsi nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."

The two girls left the music room and headed for the south door, while Ms. Darbus stood in front of the mirror in the faculty bathroom, cleaning her glasses and dabbing her face with cold water as the three nearly simultaneously breathed a sigh of surprise in the aftermath.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its components.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I know I said I was looking to wrap this up, but never fear, this is NOT the last chapter!! (Haha, I'm not that cruel to end on that kind of a cliffhanger). While I do foresee an ending somewhere in the near future, I've proven to myself that even as the author, I have little control over how long the story will actually end up being. :-p So, thanks to those of you who are still reading, especially considering my long gaps between edits. You guys rock my world, seriously. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!**

They decided their story would be that since the seniors had already left campus until graduation, they assumed the junior class automatically adopted senior privileges such as leaving campus for free period or lunch. Of course Kelsi and Sharpay both knew that it wasn't true, but they didn't exactly intend on getting caught, either. Over the past few weeks, they had both become experts on sneaking around, and a part deep down in each of them hoped that after today, it would no longer be an issue.

Although now things were immeasurably different, Kelsi thought to herself as she once again sat in the passenger seat of the familiar toy-like car that must have cost more money than she could ever imagine seeing.

Snapped out of her daydream and yanked across the center console, Kelsi gasped when Sharpay pulled her into a kiss by the collar of her shirt while they stopped at a red light not too far into their journey. She instead exhaled into the blonde's mouth as she stopped herself from asking one of her paranoid questions. As they broke the kiss, she felt one creeping up, but before it could escape and be absorbed, she breathed out, "Green light."

Whether she was getting ahead of herself or not, Kelsi was on cloud nine. This was the moment she wanted since she and Sharpay had become friends, and she had been convinced it was just another far-off fantasy. To make sure that her goddess wasn't going to disappear into the morning light as she so often did in her dreams, Kelsi bravely outstretched her hand and rested it on Sharpay's knee, to which the blonde responded by removing her right hand from the steering wheel and resting linking her fingers with Kelsi's. But the composer's genuine eye-smiling grin faded when she saw that her singer's expression appeared slightly pained. It was only then that she was snapped out of her reverie to realize that they were not traveling the usual course to Kelsi's house, but instead to Sharpay's, to her part of town.

"Shar, what's going on, where are we headed?" Kelsi asked all in one breath.

"My house," Sharpay stated flatly, confirming Kelsi's assumption.

"But don't your parents work from home?" the brunette inquired.

The pallid girl behind the steering wheel could only bite her lip and nod in reply before putting on her directional and pulling into a strip mall parking lot.

Kelsi's heart was racin ga mile a minute when she could once again see the tears welling up in her princess' eyes. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, okay?"

There was a pause before Sharpay blurted out, "You make sense to me." It was an ironic moment when that statement really made no particular sense to either of them. Sharpay tried again. "What I mean is, you feel right," she flat lined, causing Kelsi's mind to momentarily wander to a dirtier place. Sharpay's frustration brought Kelsi back into reality. "God, I can't even talk," Sharpay exclaimed. "Look, I don't like to depend on people. I never have. I think that's why I push people away all the time, it's just -- a defense mechanism?" she half questioned, half stated. "But I almost lost you once for good, so if I have to depend on you, so be it. I just can't lose you."

Kelsi's eyes filled up, but she convinced herself to be strong for her damsel. "You won't lose me, believe that."

"I do," Sharpay said, taking a deep breath, "But we both know that I need to set my parents straight - uh, no pun intended - before I can even start to be okay with myself."

Kelsi swallowed hard. She was a combination of elated, overwhelmed, and nauseous all at once. As much as she had been waiting and praying for Sharpay to have this very epiphany, the way things were unraveling suggested that Kelsi was going to be involved firsthand, which proved to be a daunting thing. But if there was anyone that the young musician knew inside and out, it was herself, and she knew that the instant that Sharpay talked about depending on her, she was hooked, for better or worse.

The smaller girl took a deep breath and placed the sweetest of kisses on the blonde's mouth, cupping her cheek with a hand before releasing her. "So, are you ready to do this now?"

A timid smile graced the actress' lips. "Only if you are."

Kelsi took another deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own High School Musical or any of its components.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: :tap tap: Is this thing on? OMG, hey! Wow.. it has been forever. So long that I'm probably the only one still hanging on to this story. When the school year ends, as does my unlimited dorm room internet, and thus I have been stranded for an eternity with no time to write, and then no means to update. But here I am -- updating! If you're still reading, I love you. As usual, many apologies for taking so long. Please review and let me know if it was worth the wait!**

Kelsi felt a surge of heat in her chest, and as Ryan would say, "and not in a good way." She glanced down the neck of her blouse and noticed the nervous-inspired hives beginning to warm her skin. She kept her left hand and fingers adjoined with Sharpay's right hand, but kept her head facing out the window to hide the fear etched all over her face.

As surely as time will only drag when you don't want it to, the girls seemed to reach the Evans house quicker than practically possible, and Kelsi honestly feared for a moment that she might be ill. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see that Sharpay, too, was pausing to get her bearings, and once the blonde unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, Kelsi knew it was the moment of truth.

She put aside her own feelings of panic to admire the bravery of the girl in front of her. Everything Sharpay had -- her possessions, her money, her notoriety -- was because of her family, her support system, and all of that was about to be compromised. While a part of Kelsi was convinced that all gay and bi teens had to go through something of the sort, she wasn't slow to realize that Sharpay perhaps had more at stake than most.

As they approached the doorstep, Kelsi wasn't really sure what she was expected to do. Was she supposed to say something? Do something? Stand there? Faint? She figured the best thing to do was follow Sharpay's lead, although there was a chance that she didn't have much more of a clue as to what was about to unfold.

With one hand on the doorknob, Sharpay took her free hand and gave one of Kelsi's hands a tight squeeze before turning the key and walking into the house.

"Mother! Daddy!" Sharpay called out from the lobby, her voice seeming to resonate throughout the giant house.

Within seconds, Mr. and Mrs. Evans appeared from their respective rooms. Mr. Evans, who had been engrossed in his office, stepped forward.

"Princess! What are you doing here?" he inquired, glancing at the clock to confirm that school wasn't out yet.

Kelsi, who was pale and lightheaded, couldn't imagine what was running through the actress' mind as she took a deep breath. "I'm here because I have to talk to you both," Sharpay exhaled.

"Where's your brother? Is he all right?" Mrs. Evans asked nervously.

"He's fine. Besides this isn't about him, this is about us, talking," Sharpay replied, appearing calm, but serious.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked simply baffled by the entire situation: the time, the urgency, the occurrence in itself. It became clear to Kelsi that while she and her dad told each other practically everything, Sharpay and Ryan weren't expected to converse with their parents unless it was in their best interest.

"Darling, what could possibly be urgent enough for you to leave school over?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"_This_ is," Sharpay asserted. "And I have a free period anyway."

Still unsure of Sharpay's reasoning, Mr. and Mrs. Evans stepped into the living room and took a seat. "Well, if you're waiting for our attention, you have it," Mr. Evans said, patting a seat on the couch which Sharpay, and in turn Kelsi, neglected to take.

Sharpay's deep mahogany eyes were darting back and forth frantically as she stared at the ground, desperately trying to find a jumping off point that would make this easier. With scripts, she could learn, prepare, and blow everyone away with the performance of a lifetime, but with unrehearsed speech, she retracted like a scolded puppy, terrified and cornered.

"Well - uh - you know how I started dating Zeke a little while back -"

"Oh, Sweetheart, did he break up with you?" Mrs. Evans interrupted.

"No, he didn't -"

"You know he'll be the biggest fool in Albuquerque if he lets you go, Princess," Mr. Evans cut in.

"Zeke _didn't _break up with me!" Sharpay insisted.

"Then what's the problem?" asked Mr. Evans, not following.

"I am! I mean - nothing! It's not a problem, but I'm the one breaking up with him," Sharpay hastily interjected.

Watching them converse back and forth was like watching a tennis match. Kelsi hated tennis.

"Why are you breaking up with him?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Did he do something to you?" Mr. Evans interrogated.

"Is it because he wears an apron?" Mrs. Evans questioned.

"YOU KNOW WHY!" Sharpay shouted, halting the room to silence.

"Sharpay, we don't know what you're talking about," Mrs. Evans said, appearing not quite honest.

"Mom -" Sharpay cut in.

"Your mother's right. We already said everything we needed to say; the discussion is closed," Mr. Evans added.

"You can't just -"

"And what is Ryan's friend doing here? This isn't her affair!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed.

"Her name is _Kelsi_, and she's my -"

As if the subject being changed to her didn't already freak Kelsi out, she almost had a heart attack when Mr. Evans stood from the couch and walked toward her. "Young lady, I'm not sure what our daughter has told you, but our family matters are not your business, and we'll know where to look if this gets out!" he nearly yelled.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Sharpay protested.

"Young lady, do not defend this girl before your own family! We are the ones who matter here," Mrs. Evans imposed.

"When are you both going to realize that this is not about you? This is about me! This is about me, and being happy, and my life!" Sharpay pleaded.

"Let's get one thing straight; you don't have a life unless we see it fit! Your mother and I have worked our whole lives to see to it that you and your brother even have a shot at happiness, so I don't want to hear it!" Mr. Evans shouted.

Running out of words and options, the escalation of heartbeats and gasps of petrified air could be heard from both girls when Sharpay grabbed the back of Kelsi's neck and lower back and pulled their bodies together in an impulsive kiss. Kelsi instinctively brought her hand up to Sharpay's shoulder facing her parents and squinted, positive that one or both of them was going to be hit. Sure enough, the shocked silence of Mr. and Mrs. Evans lasted for no longer than 5 seconds before Mrs. Evans hands grasped Sharpay's shoulders and pulled the couple apart.

"Stop this nonsense this instant!" Mrs. Evans cried out, her voice near shrill.

Sharpay shook herself from her mother's hold and faced both of her parents with a smile that startled Kelsi.

"No, Mom, look at me! Really, Mom, Dad, just look at me! Do you see this? It's a smile! I'm smiling because I'm happy -- because _Kelsi_ makes me happy! Because finding someone and something where I can be myself and have someone love and understand me has made me happier than I've been in a long time, and that should be all that matters!" Sharpay retorted.

"Oh, so this is _you're _doing?" Mr. Evans once again directed at Kelsi.

"NO! My God, don't you listen?" Sharpay asked.

"Don't take that tone with your father!" Mrs. Evans scolded.

"Then listen to me, both of you! This isn't about you, this isn't about Kelsi, this isn't about Ryan, this is about me. This is about who I am," Sharpay repeated.

"Now _you _listen to _me_," Mr. Evans deadpanned, "You don't live any life unless we see it fit, and we don't see this fit. I will not have my daughter ruining her future on some schoolgirl experiment -"

"That's not -" Sharpay began.

"Not another word!" he barked. "You're a 17-year-old child who lives under our roof and our supervision, and as long as that's the case, you will play by our rules. All 4 of us have already discussed your options, which we can remind you of if you've forgotten. When you're an adult, it's up to you whether you want to lose everything or not. Are we clear?

Sharpay wordlessly expressed her temporary forfeit as she stepped backward from the gaze and immediate proximity of her parents. Kelsi felt Sharpay's grip on her wrist, which was more than enough of a clue that it was time to go. Time seemed to soar from the house, to the car, to peeling the corner of the Evans' street.

The two had barely traveled out of sight of the house when Sharpay unexpectedly cut the wheel hard to the right, threw the car in park, and didn't bother with the door when she jumped through what would be the window if the convertible top was up, and from Kelsi's point of view, disappeared behind the car. Almost immediately, the horrendous retching sound began and Kelsi quickly darted over to the ground beside the driver's seat where Sharpay was knelt down.

The brunette grasped Sharpay's blonde locks into a ponytail away from her face and rubbed her back in a desperate attempt to comfort her. Kelsi murmured hushed condolences as she waited for the other girl to rid her system of the evil she had been swallowing and consuming her whole 17 years.

Minutes later, the actress softly asked Kelsi to hand her a tissue from the glove compartment, and she waited to clean her mouth before turning to face the smaller girl.

"All right, we need to get heading back to school," Sharpay said, standing up and reaching for the car door handle.

Kelsi stopped her beautiful disaster's hand with her own. "Sweetie, you shouldn't drive like this. Let me." As the words escaped, Kelsi was surprised with herself. She was fairly certain she had never used the word "sweetie" in her life, nor would ordinarily offer to drive a car that was most likely worth more than her own existence, but she was used to surprises when it came to Sharpay.

"Okay," Sharpay breathlessly agreed, "But we have to go kind of fast, we have barely 15 minutes."

"Sharpay, if you don't want to go back to school, I'm sure it won't be the end of the world. I mean, your parents already know that you left and I know my dad would understand," Kelsi said, holding Sharpay in place.

"It's okay. I have a pre-calc test that I won't be able to make up," Sharpay said, barely looking Kelsi in the eye.

"I'm sure you could explain what happened and get another chance. We could go to my house," Kelsi tried.

"After school, we will," Sharpay insisted. "Right now I just wanna go finish the day. I need to talk to Ryan anyway."

If there was one thing the composer had learned about her singer, it was that arguing with her became useless after a certain point.

Kelsi silently agreed, and Sharpay's eyes met hers with a small, but seemingly sincere grin. The shorter girl leaned up to get closer to the blonde, but Sharpay pressed her hand to Kelsi's chest.

"No, no, my mouth is all gross, you don't want to kiss me," Sharpay blushed.

No "grossness" in the world could stop Kelsi from placing a soft, simple, and love-infused kiss on Sharpay's lips. When the kiss broke, Kelsi spoke the words she had been waiting to say since they left the Evans' house. "I am so proud of you."

Sharpay, desperately trying to keep her eyes from misting, simply said, "Come on. We're going to be late" before climbing back into the car. Kelsi knew that she would have thanked her if she could.

Thanks to Kelsi's lead foot on an actually functioning gas pedal, the girls made it to school in record time, driving behind the school to sneak back in the South Door that they had left through. They soon ran into a slight problem, however.

"Locked?!" Sharpay exclaimed as she furiously pulled at the gold handle. "Fuck!"

"We're just going to have to go into the front door," Kelsi sighed.

"Well, we'll say that we ate lunch outside," Sharpay said.

"But only seniors can do that," Kelsi protested.

"Well, everyone knows that I normally don't give a damn about school policy. Hello, who else paints their locker pink?" Sharpay asked, causing herself and Kelsi to both laugh for the first time in a long time. Even so, both of them were silently convinced that this wasn't going to work.

The duo tried to look inconspicuous as they entered through the front doors, but quickly had a bad feeling when they were waved into the office by Principal Matsui's secretary. They were hoping to sneak by as the office lobby was busied with faculty checking their mailboxes and leaving the lounge after lunch, but no such luck.

Kelsi turned an even whiter shade of pale when Ms. Darbus was checking her mail directly beside the secretary, eyeing she and Sharpay periodically.

"Ah, Miss Evans, I thought that was your blindingly pink car driving into the parking lot a few minutes ago," exhaled the secretary, not appearing too impressed in the least.

Well, there went the lunch excuse. Kelsi looked to Sharpay as she fumbled for a new reason, when a familiar voice piped up.

"Oh, that's what I had forgotten to tell you. I gave Kelsi and Sharpay permission to retrieve some sheet music for our talent show rehearsals. As you know, the theater requires prompt and meticulous preparation," said Ms. Darbus, putting on what could truly be called the performance of a lifetime.

The secretary's face relaxed as she had no reason to not believe Ms. Darbus, even if it seemed a little odd. "Oh, I see. Well, yes, next time make sure you let me know, okay?"

"I am terribly sorry, it just slipped my mind. And next time I'll have the girls stop by the office on their way out," Darbus continued.

The secretary's smile implied that they had gotten away with their excuse, and before another word was said, Ms. Darbus was out the door and starting down the hallway.

Kelsi and Sharpay exchanged glances, and Kelsi's mouth formed a smile that could not be slapped off of her face. Judging by Sharpay's expression, as well, both girls had just gotten unexpected and much needed hope from the last place they expected to find it.


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its components.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HELLO, amazing readers! (if there are any of you left...) Thank you again for being patient since I have internet only sometimes during the summer. I will do my very best to update as quickly as I possibly can! ENJOY and let me know what you think!**

Shortly after Kelsi's next class began, she quickly stepped out, locked herself in the furthest stall from the door, and sobbed. Despite the pleasant interference from Ms. Darbus, every inch of bravery had been drained from her body, and she was desperate for a form of release.

Kelsi cried for Mr. and Mrs. Evans, and the fact that there were people in the world so blind to diversity, acceptance, and love and did everything they could to perpetuate hatred and keep it going. She cried for Sharpay, whose whole world was made to collapse around her because of a factor beyond her control. But mainly she cried out of fear of not knowing what was going to happen next.

In the mere month or so that Sharpay had upgraded to more than just happenstance in Kelsi's life, the composer had never felt so full of life and purpose, even though the majority of their "getting to know each other" process was filled with uncertainty, stress, and doubt. These negative emotions and feelings were like a concrete wall, solid and difficult to get around, yet somehow shrouded in an air of random happiness that illuminated even the darkest of situations. With this in mind, Kelsi couldn't help but revel in the thought of what things could be like now that feelings were mutual and full of passion. She also couldn't help but worry that after witnessing the fight at the Evans' house, she and Sharpay may never get the chance to see how great things could be.

After drying her eyes and regaining her composure, Kelsi headed back in the direction of her classroom, catching Ryan's eye as she re-entered. They were in the same Chemistry class, and Ryan's suspicions that something was wrong with Kelsi only escalated when she returned from the bathroom with flushed cheeks and puffy eyes. Lucky for Ryan, their Chem teacher instructed them to choose lab partners and saved him the trouble of trying to communicate with Kelsi via passing notes.

"Hey, Kels," Ryan began with a worried expression, "what's the matter?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong," Kelsi lied.

Ryan saw right through it. "Come on, Kelsi. There are no secrets between girlfriends," he jested, over dramatically batting his eyelashes.

Kelsi cracked a small smile before taking a deep breath. "Yeah, well… speaking of _girlfriends_."

It took Ryan a second for things to register. "Oh my God! You don't mean… you and Sharpay?!"

Kelsi's absence of a nod yet lack of a head shake confirmed the truth of Ryan's inquiry. "Yes!" the blonde exclaimed in excitement. "Why didn't you tell me?" When Kelsi's facial expression remained unchanged, Ryan's smile disappeared. "Wait. Then why the sad eyes and teary face? This is good news, isn't it?"

Kelsi quietly gulped, trying to swallow the tears that were threatening once more to fall. "Ryan, a lot of stuff happened today. I - I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, try and start at the beginning, because you're worrying me," Ryan urged.

Just then their Chem teacher, who noticed that Ryan and Kelsi hadn't touched their experiment yet, walked to their lab table. "Mr. Evans, Ms. Nielsen, let's spend a little less time chatting and a little more time on the experiment, please."

Ryan connected the Bunsen burner to the lab table and slid the lab worksheet in front of Kelsi. "Start writing, but keep talking," he whispered.

Kelsi glanced up at the front of the class and saw the teacher eyeing her, so she cast her eyes downward and spoke softly. "We got together during free period to work on the song for the talent show since we haven't talked since break, and I started playing, and the next thing I knew, she was kissing me," Kelsi exhaled, recalling the event with butterflies in her stomach.

"_She _kissed _you_?" Ryan gasped, "I knew she had some sense in her! Keep going."

"And then - Ms. Darbus walked in on us," Kelsi confessed. Ryan's wide-eyed silence spoke for itself. "Yeah," Kelsi punctuated.

"Oh, God. Ms. Darbus sent you guys to the office, didn't she? Did they call home?" Ryan asked.

"Well, no, uh.. Ms. Darbus didn't say anything, actually," Kelsi corrected.

Ryan breathed a premature sigh of relief, warming the beaker over the flame as instructed. "Wow. Well, that's a first. Anyway, go on."

"So, uh, we snuck off campus since we had, like, 2 hours, and Sharpay said she wanted to go to you guys' house so she could, um… 're-come out' to your parents," Kelsi said, bracing herself for the reaction.

"WHAT?!" Ryan exclaimed above a whisper, nearly knocking the experiment over and causing the whole class, minus the teacher, to erupt in laughter.

"Ryan! Kelsi! If I have to speak to you one more time, you'll be sitting in the office. Are we clear?" she yelled.

The class mumbled a chorus of "oooh's" as Ryan and Kelsi nodded silently to the teacher. Neither said a word until they saw that their experiment was back on track and they weren't being watched as closely.

"I don't need to go to the office for the 3rd time today, so you need to keep quiet," Kelsi urged.

"Okay, okay, fine, just keep going, please," Ryan responded.

"Let's just say it didn't go well. Your parents totally freaked," Kelsi whispered.

"You mean -- she really did it?" Ryan asked, pausing for Kelsi to nod. "Well, of course they freaked! I know that, and Sharpay knows that, too, we've both been through this before!" he whisper-yelled. Despite his efforts, a tear made its way down Ryan's cheek. "I didn't think she had it in her."

Kelsi took a deep breath. "You would have been proud of her."

Ryan quickly wiped the tear from his eye and after observing that the experiment was going to plan, spoke again. "So, what happened exactly?"

"Your parents just said that either she does what they say or she's not apart of the family. Not like that's really an option at 17, right?" Kelsi stated cynically.

"That sounds like their signature catchphrase," Ryan exhaled. "Do you think if I went down to the office and asked them to call her out of class, they'd let me talk to her?"

"Sharpay's kind of on the hot list today, I'm not sure that'd be the best idea," Kelsi explained. "We only have one class left."

"Yeah," Ryan said, obviously less than comforted. Kelsi shared the sentiment, glancing at the clock, feeling that the day would never end.

A short eternity later, the final bell for the day sounded and Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi all congregated in record time at their lockers, as if someone announced a queer youth summit over the PA system.

"I can't come home, Ryan," Sharpay said.

"What good is it going to do, you not coming home?" Ryan nervously asked. "Last time Mom and Dad threatened to call the cops."

"What good is it going to do me _coming _home?" Sharpay challenged. "They don't need to call the cops, you can tell them I'm at Kelsi's, and if they want to come pry me out of there, that's up to them. But apparently, unless I turn straight between school and the trip to Kelsi's, I don't think they want me there."

"Maybe they just need to miss her to realize what could happen if they keep this up," Kelsi said, hopefully.

"And me?" Ryan asked.

"You're straight as far as they're concerned," Sharpay relented.

"Yeah. Straight," Ryan sighed. "Just call me so I know what's going on, okay?"

"I will," Sharpay agreed.

Then, in a rare genuine moment, Ryan reached out and Sharpay met his embrace, holding tight to one another for a few seconds.

"I love you, Sis," Ryan said.

"Love you, too," Sharpay replied.

Ryan turned to Kelsi, doing his best to smile. "She hasn't been this nice in years," he began, referring to Sharpay. "I blame you."

Kelsi smiled genuinely for the first time all afternoon. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Call me," Ryan said to the backs of their heads as they disappeared down the hall. He couldn't explain it, but everything that had happened that day gave him a surge of both energy and bravery that he never knew he had in him.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I am not fortunate enough to own High School Musical or any of its components.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: And after what seems like an eternity of working on this story... it comes to a hopefully worthwhile end. If you're still reading, you're amazing, and you give me a lot of hope as a writer. Thanks to all of you for sharing this journey with me, and furthermore you MUST MUST MUST without any option read the story dedication after you finish this chapter. It starts off kind of superficial, but it's far bigger than myself and this story and you HAVE to read it.**

**Once again, thank you for being patient, and without further ado... the final chapter of "Break the Mold"! **

Blur.

That was the only word that could come close to describing what things felt like. Not a confusing, head-rush, nauseous blur, but an out of school, into the car, pressed up against Kelsi's door in a fit of passion blur.

While earlier that month - hell, earlier that _day _- this would have thrown Kelsi into a half-scared, half-surprised stupor, now she almost felt like an expert, calm, relaxed, yet with her libido at an all-time high. When Sharpay used her body weight against Kelsi's to shut the brunette's bedroom door behind them, Kelsi surprised her slightly taller lover by dragging her fingernails down the center of her back and all but passionately throwing her on the bed.

So many times, Kelsi and Sharpay had narrowly avoided intimate contact on that very bed, teasing themselves and each other with subtle touches that were never fully explored - until now. The brown-haired virgin could barely believe that this moment she had been fantasizing about for so long was close at hand, but knew that she wouldn't want to have "her first time" any other way. Kelsi was just about getting drunk on the scent of Sharpay, kissing down her neck and midsection and letting her hands follow the same direction.

Until Sharpay stopped her.

"Kels - Kelsi…" Sharpay managed to breathe out, "Hang on a sec."

Instantly, Kelsi took her hands off of Sharpay in true kid-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar fashion and came to a screeching halt from the intoxicated feeling she was experiencing before. "I'm sorry, I should have asked first," Kelsi began nervously, "Do you not want to do this?"

Sharpay exhaled a soft giggle, "No, no, believe me, I want to -- more than anything I want to," she deadpanned, "Just not right now. And I don't want you to feel bad. I mean, I know that might be a shock that Ice Princess cares about others, but you know, she has her nice sides," Sharpay jested with a smile.

Kelsi returned the smile. "I don't feel bad, I just feel stupid," Kelsi blushed.

Sharpay gave Kelsi a gentle kiss before leaning against the headboard of Kelsi's bed and patting the spot next to her for Kelsi to move closer. "Don't feel stupid," Sharpay said, wrapping her arms around Kelsi's waist, "I've just… hooked up with a lot of people before, and it's never really meant anything. And with you, well, I want it to mean something."

Kelsi imagined that if she were a cartoon, she would have those big, red, pumping hearts in place of her blue-as-the-sea eyes. Needless to say, she gladly accepted Sharpay's romantic explanation with a sweet smile and an even sweeter, gentle kiss before nestling back into her arms.

"I mean, I hope that doesn't make me sound like a slut or anything, but I just never really looked for anything serious because I didn't think I'd, like, find it, you know? And now I've met you, right when I least expected it, and you're someone I could see myself really falling in -"

The wealthy and beautiful blonde stopped talking only when interrupted by the quiet snoring of her brunette counterpart. Kelsi, who was snugly tucked under her arm with her fingers clasped to Sharpay's pink zip-up, had fallen into a dead sleep in a mere few moments.

Although she couldn't stand to be ignored, Sharpay softly smiled, knowing that her composer had been sleeping less and less as the days had passed. Although she considered waking her up with a mock diva moment, Sharpay instead pulled the blanket over them and Kelsi closer to her as she joined her girlfriend in peaceful slumber.

**...InsertBandofStarsThatIndicatesPassageofTimeHere...**

"Hey, Champ, are you home?" was the only warning that preceded Mr. Nielsen before he opened Kelsi's door, awaking she and Sharpay, who were still in bed together in each other's arms. "Oh, uh, hi, Sharpay, how are you?" he asked.

In her disorientation, Kelsi felt flushed, having no idea how her dad would react. "We weren't doing anything!" Kelsi exclaimed, causing an unexpected guttural laugh from both her girlfriend and her father.

"Kels, I know you're not doing anything. Don't worry. But is everything okay?" Mr. Nielsen asked, noticing that both girls looked a little more than disheveled.

"Uh, well, actually, there's a lot we need to talk to you about," Kelsi stated.

About an hour later, Kelsi was staring at Mr. Nielsen and Sharpay in an amused amazement. The trio had since moved to the kitchen table, and while Kelsi had anticipated to field the recap of events to inform her dad, it had turned into a therapy session of sorts for Sharpay and a definite bonding experience between the painter and the actress.

"Well, Honey, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need," Mr. Nielsen concluded. "With the understanding that your parents know you're safe and aren't going to put out any search parties or nothing."

"Yeah, Ryan knows where I am. If my parents hit the roof, he'll be the first to tell me," Sharpay confirmed.

"All right. And, uh, of course, Kels, I don't have any problem with you two staying in the same room, but just make sure you keep it appropriate, for your old dad's sake," Mr. Nielsen finished with a wink.

Kelsi could feel her face turning blood red. "Daaaaaaaad…" she whined. Once again Mr. Nielsen and Sharpay laughed.

"Come on, Champ, help me get dinner started," Mr. Nielsen encouraged.

**...InsertBandofStarsThatIndicatesPassageofTimeHere...**

Although she realized she may be jumping the gun a bit, Kelsi felt like she could get used to sharing a home with Sharpay.

The 3 had just finished a dinner that Kelsi and her father prepared together, since Kelsi insisted upon Sharpay simply laying back and relaxing. Kelsi was aware that to Sharpay, relaxing while others did the work was simply a right of passage for the privileged blonde, but strangely enough, Kelsi didn't mind. Sharpay was still plenty grateful and content for and with the meal the Nielsens provided at the best of their abilities. The blonde reached under the table to squeeze her girlfriend's hand, but Kelsi instead pulled their joined hands from underneath and rested them on top of the table, reminding them both that they were finally able to be themselves.

Just as Mr. Nielsen began clearing the table, a knock on the door threatened to interrupt the picture perfect reality both girls were enjoying. Already up, Mr. Nielsen went to the door and opened it. While Kelsi couldn't make out anything intelligible, Sharpay spoke up.

"That's Ryan," she stated, "I guess the search party is back on," she sighed.

Kelsi squeezed her hand and yelled into the next room. "Ryan, come on in!"

Ryan and Mr. Nielsen both entered into the kitchen. Ryan's face was reddened and it looked like he had been crying. Kelsi and Sharpay stood up as Kelsi briefly introduced her father.

Mr. Nielsen could tell that the 3 teenagers needed to talk, so before they could leave, he decided to excuse himself. "Kels, I'll be back in my office if you need me, okay? You kids settle in now."

Once again, Kelsi looked at the broken family in front of her and was eternally grateful for her dad. But she was immediately brought back to the issue at hand when Sharpay jumped right to the chase.

"What happened?" she asked Ryan.

"I re-came out to Mom and Dad, too," Ryan stated flatly after a deep breath.

"You what?!" Sharpay interrogated, almost making Kelsi laugh at how Ryan had asked the same question in just about the same tone earlier. "Ryan, they must have had a shit fit!"

"Actually… they didn't," Ryan once again stated flatly.

"Okay, I'm not following, and I want to follow, I want _something _to make sense here," Kelsi said abruptly, surprising the twins slightly with her candor.

"Sorry, I'm just, having a hard time processing the whole thing myself still I guess. I, uh, I kind of freaked out I guess you could say. What you told me just made me so mad at them for being the way they are and at myself for conforming to what they want me to be, and I just.. I just let them hear it all, the truth about everything including how angry they make me," Ryan explained, still rather calm.

"And what'd they say? What did _Dad_ say?" Sharpay stressed.

"They ignored it," Ryan said.

Sharpay and Kelsi both drew blanks. "What do you mean they ignored it? They didn't believe you? They just left the room?" Kelsi asked.

"No. They listened to everything. Mom said 'We will be eating in a half hour,' and Dad said, 'Come remind me when dinner gets close,' and _then _they left the room. And then when I was leaving to come here, they asked if I was going over to Kelsi's and when I said yes, they said 'Say hi to your sister and ask when we can expect her home,'" Ryan once again stated, walking through the steps in his head.

"That's… odd?" Sharpay offered up, a perplexed expression invading her facial features.

For the first time since he arrived, Ryan's eyes grew large as he grabbed his sister by the shoulders. "Shar, don't you see how good this is?! I mean, come on, Mom and Dad are never going to change overnight, it's impossible. But now that they know the truth and that we're not going to hide the truth, they can smile right through it all they want for all I care! But at least this way we have a roof over our heads with nothing to hide and only room for things to improve!"

Sharpay allowed a moment for Ryan's logic to sink in before bursting out into a smile and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug as she squealed aloud. "Oh my God, Ryan, you're _so _right! We totally need to celebrate!" she exclaimed before pulling Kelsi into a sudden and disarming kiss and grabbing her wrist and Ryan's and charging for the front door.

Kelsi's head was spinning from the turn of events that just unfolded before her eyes. Contentment to panic to a joy that Kelsi didn't quite understand all within the length of a song, and she had yet to find out where this little celebration would take them.

She internally mourned their world where teenagers found it party worthy that their parents ignored who they were in lieu of hating them for it, but could tell that to Sharpay, who was resting her head on Kelsi's shoulder in the backseat of Ryan's car, it was paradise, and that was ideal enough for her, too.


	13. Dedication PLEASE PLEASE READ!

**Dedication**

First of all, I want to thank Musette for inspiring the mentioned dynamic between Kelsi and Jason in Chapter 5 and to Lindsay for inspiring Sharpay's point of view in Chapters 6 and 7. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me and subsequently helping me bring a beautiful realness to these characters.

I also want to thank every single person who read this story, especially those of you who have somehow stuck with me as I struggled with writing this story progressively and finding ways to update. This summer was a hellish roller coaster that included a break up and the dire sickness of my father, and all of your kind comments and reviews gave me hope and optimism.

Above all else, however, this story is dedicated to Lawrence "Larry" King, an 8th grade boy who was murdered on February 12th, 2008 by a fellow classmate at E.O. Green Junior High. The assailant, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, shot Larry twice in the back of the head before fleeing the computer class that was about to begin. A mere few days before the attack, Larry, who had recently come out as gay, asked Brandon to be his valentine.

In addition to coming out, Larry had sometimes worn makeup and feminine clothes to school in the weeks leading up to his death. Despite being taunted by several school mates, other students described Larry as proud of who he was, making no apologies for his sexual orientation. Teachers, some say, were privy to Larry's bullying, yet refused to interfere.

The hatred needs to stop. It is our responsibility as open-minded individuals to challenge every ignorant remark or joke, no matter how "harmless" they are claimed to be. I am fairly confident in saying that words are what lead people, children, like Brandon to committing unspeakable acts of violence on those deemed different by society.

The reason I dedicate this story to Larry, aside from the fact that I believe strongly in circulating what happened to him, is because "Break the Mold" has ultimately become about being yourself just as much as it is a love story. Sharpay's painful coming out process in this story, cultivated by the ignorance of her parents, is a fictionalized version of an all too real battle that GLBT persons fight every day. The importance rests, however, in her incredible bravery to be herself regardless of the consequences.

The real-life tragedy of Lawrence King, however, proves that not every GLBT person has a happy ending. As a young teenage boy, Larry had the courage to be himself even though the odds were against him, and was brutally robbed of his life because of it. He lost his life in exchange for being true to himself, and as a 21-year-old woman, I consider a boy who only made it to the 8th grade as a hero in every sense of the word.

This story goes out to the all too short life of Lawrence King. Rest in perfect peace, baby boy.

**Lawrence King  
1/13/93-2/13/08**


	14. May I have your attention PLEASE?

Hello, to the AMAZING community that is Fanfiction

Hello, to the AMAZING community that is !

I know this story has been complete for awhile now, but I'm actually writing to post a public response to a review I just received. It remains on my comments because I'm not going to mark it as abuse, since it isn't. However, I feel that if I don't respond, my silence will send a message I tend not to convey. Here's the review:

"_it was a good story and I loved it_

but the dedication made me unhappy since Larry wasn't killed because he was gay but because he kept placing mental stress on his killer and kept provoking him often saying that he'd make Brandon his valentine and touching him inappropriatly, despite Brandon constantly saying that he wasn't interested and eventually Brandon snapped and brought the gun to get rid of Larry not because of homophobia but because of the harrasment so really it isn't the issue you stated and I'm sorry if it offends anyone but Brandon wasn't the villian and Larry wasn't a martyr and this isn't homophobic ranting since I am the least homophobic person in the world and am partially bi anyway"

First of all, I want to thank this person for the kind things he or she said about my story. However, if the majority of the review was a critique of my story, I wouldn't post any sort of response, but since it concerns an issue that carries so much weight, I feel obligated to respond.

I'll begin by admitting that I have absolutely no way of confirming as fact the motive for Lawrence King's murder; this is because I am not Brandon or Larry, and since the reviewer isn't either, he or she also has no way of confirming.

I have heard both sides of the story, including what the reviewer brings up, often referred to as "the gay panic defense." It comes up in just about any case where a GLBT person has been attacked or murdered. Again, I'm not arrogant enough to say that I _know _the way things went down, but I can tell you what's wrong with the gay panic defense and why I tend not to go for it:

Probably the biggest problem is that whether intended or not, saying that the person who committed the violent offense acted out of "gay panic" is justifying that violent offense. It's like saying that since a heterosexual person disliked the actual or implied advances of a gay person, it was okay for that heterosexual to "stop" the gay person by hurting or killing them. As a lesbian, this attempt at logic terrifies me. Is that saying that if I mistakenly take a straight girl for gay and ask her on a date, she has the right to kill me because she's uncomfortable? Or because I have a flirtatious personality and my flirting makes someone uncomfortable, they can just shoot me to shut me up?

What if Larry had been a girl who flirted with or announced Brandon as her valentine, despite Brandon not liking her? Would anyone even TRY to justify Brandon killing _her_ as a supposed resolution?

Once again… NONE OF US, except for the two directly involved, will ever know the full, whole, and true story regarding what happened and why. The rest is speculation, and in my opinion, it's easier to believe a motive of homophobia rather than panic for a _murder._

But, let's imagine that the scenario that the reviewer set is in fact what happened. It still doesn't change my feelings about Larry, because his death is not what makes me admire him. I very much agree that Larry is not a martyr – in order to be a martyr, he would have stood in front of the gun and accepted his death in the name of gay rights or something of that nature. I admire him for having the courage to be himself, regardless of the challenges and prejudices that, especially in middle school society, are very real and as we have learned, dangerous.

Sure, I wouldn't have known about Larry and his personality had he not been killed, but once again, it's not the fact that he died that I appreciate.

So, for the sake of more accurately encompassing the true nature of my dedication, "Break the Mold" goes out to EVERYONE who has defied prejudice, hatred, or discrimination of any kind just to be themselves.

And that, irrefutably, includes Lawrence King.

May he rest in peace.


	15. 3rd installment of the Kelpay series up!

Hello, Gorgeous Readers!

To this day, I marvel at the amount of attention, reviews, and feedback that this story got, and it never ceases to amaze and uplift me. My intention was always to take these two characters on as believable and human of a journey as possible, and the fact that many people responded to that quality is exactly what I hoped would happen, and it makes me so happy.

For those who may not know, I have published TWO more installments that follow this story, both oneshots. The 2nd story is called "Cliché" and it takes place at graduation (I published it several months ago), and the 3rd is called "56 Days" which I published last night, which takes place during the summer before freshman year of college.

I realized that this might be the only way that some of you might come to know about the new stories, and continuing their journey wouldn't mean half as much without you all along for the ride. I hope you enjoy where their story has lead them and that you'll let me know what you think via review or private message.

Thank you again so much for your support and readership -- I can't tell you what it means to me!

All my love,

Laura


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